THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 


THE 
THIRD   DIAMOND 


BY 


AUTHOR  OF  "FRAN" 


RICHARD  G.  BADGER 
CIjc  <§orJja 
BOSTON 


Copyright,  1913,  by  Richard  G    Badger 


All  Rights  Reserved 
Entered  at  Stationers  Hall 


THE  GORHAM  PRESS,  BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 


Some  lay  their  roses  on  the  grave, 

MY  MOTHER— 

Rest  mine  upon  your  brow; 

Some  distant  day,  perchance,  the  tender 

recollection — 
The  perfume,  now. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    AN  ENGAGEMENT 9 

II    CONFIDENCES 28 

III  THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     ...     45 

IV  THIN  ICE 68 

V    THE  PROMISE 86 

VI    THE  PROPOSAL 102 

VII    RICHARD'S  Kiss 120 

VIII    Two  MARRIAGES 141 

IX  THE  THREE  DIAMONDS      .     .     .     .165 

X  THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     .     .     .179 

XI    AN  ORIENTAL  LADY 197 

XII     THE  MASKED  BALL 219 

XIII  OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW 245 

XIV  THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE   ....  266 
XV    Two  CALLERS 276 

XVI    JUANITA'S  Kiss 299 

XVII  THE  DIAMOND  BRACELET    .     .     .     .312 

XVIII     FACE  TO  FACE 321 

XIX    TIHE  RETURN 345 

XX  UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD    ....  363 


THE 
THIRD  DIAMOND 

CHAPTER  I 

AN   ENGAGEMENT 

"  "• ^^  O  you  want  to  go,  too,  Father?" 
•  asked  Minna  as  she  stepped  lightly 

J      J  into  the  automobile. 

Until  then,  he  had  not  thought  of  her  going 
to  the  station  without  him,  but  something  in  the 
tone  of  her  voice  made  him  say,  hesitatingly,  "  I 
suppose  it's  not  necessary." 

Mrs.  Flood,  divining  her  husband's  disap- 
pointment, called  timidly  from  the  front  porch, 
"  Your  father  has  been  driving  the  machine 
all  his  spare  time,  since  he  bought' it  for  you,  a 
month  ago;  I'm  sure  he  understands  how  to 
manage  it,  even  as  well  as  you  do." 

Minna,  just  back  to  the  farm  from  her  last 

9 


io          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

year  at  a  fashionable  young  ladies'  boarding- 
school,  smiled  sweetly.  "  Awfully  good  of  you, 
Father,  to  take  so  much  trouble.  And  so  splen- 
did of  you  both  to  get  me  the  auto —  I  just  love 
it!  But  I  won't  need  anybody  to  drive  me." 

Mrs.  Flood  beamed.  "  We  could  tell  from 
your  letters  how  you'd  miss  the  automobile  when 
you  came  home,  so  we  determined  to  surprise 
you.  And  its  brown  color  just  matches  your 
brown  hair  and  eyes.  If  you  want  your  father 
to  go—" 

"  Oh,  no,  Mother,  there's  really  no  need  at 
all,"  cried  Minna,  gayly.  "  I  know  how  tired 
he  is,  overseeing  all  those  carpenters  and  farm- 
hands. Good-by  —  good-by!"  And  the  ma- 
chine which  all  this  time  had  been  quivering  and 
panting  impotently,  turned  toward  the  gate 
and  started  down  the  road  across  the  pasture. 
She  did  not  suspect  that  her  father  really  wanted 
to  go  —  she  had  already  been  home  twenty-four 
hours,  after  her  nine  months'  absence,  so  of 
course  everybody  had  had  time  to  get  tired  of 
looking  at  her.  Besides,  it  did  not  seem  that 
age  and  automobiles  went  together.  The 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  n 

farmer  was  already  turning  gray  —  it  was  so 
comfortable  always  to  find  him  right  there  on 
the  farm  whenever  she  came  back,  looking  after 
his  men  and  cattle. 

Minna  did  not  intend  to  go  straight  to  the 
station ;  there  was  too  much  time  to  waste  it  on 
a  three-mile  drive.  Ever  since  hearing  that 
Jack  Palmer  was  engaged  to  Juanita  Smith  — 
news  her  father  had  been  eager  to  im- 
part—  she  had  felt  a  strong  desire  to  see  Jack, 
to  find  if  he  looked  different  from  the  days  when 
he  was  engaged  to  her.  Of  course,  that  was  a 
year  ago,  when  she  was  a  mere  child  —  now, 
she  was  eighteen.  And,  of  course,  she  didn't 
mind,  and  Juanita  Smith  was  welcome  to  Jack; 
Minna  did  not  care  for  Jack  or  anybody  else; 
all  the  same,  she  wanted  to  see  him  —  it  must 
be  so  interesting  to  watch  Jack  in  his  anomalous 
condition  of  being  engaged  to  somebody  else. 
But  her  father  would  not  have  understood  this 
desire  to  turn  out  of  the  way  to  pass  Jack's  farm, 
to  stop,  if  necessary,  and  cry  gayly,  blithely,  "  O 
Jack!  "  Grown  people,  that  is,  people  old 
enough  to  be  young  ladies'  fathers  and  mothers, 


12          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

live  in  an  old-people's  world.  Minna  lived  in  a 
young-people's  world,  the  world  that  Jack  lived 
in  —  Jack  and  his  Juanita  Smith  —  how  oddl 

Zack  Flood,  shirt-sleeved  and  straw-hatted, 
walked  slowly  back  to  the  house  mechanically 
twisting  a  straw  about  his  fingers;  that  meant 
that  he  was  disappointed;  but  his  wife,  watching 
from  the  porch,  could  see  only  their  daughter. 

"  Zack,  she's  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  county 
—  look  how  she  holds  herself  —  the  auto  is  just 
like  a  feather  in  her  hands.  .  .  .  And  so  dainty 
and  aristocratic-looking  —  so  sweet  about  our 
surprising  her  with  the  machine  —  nobody  was 
ever  more  grateful  for  little  kindnesses  than  our 
Minna.  I  wish  you'd  gone  with  her  as  far  as 
the  road-gate.  She  would  have  liked  to  have 
you  along,  and,  besides,  sometimes  it  doesn't 
spring  open  when  the  wheel  presses  the  rod." 

"  If  I  can't  go  all  the  way,"  remarked  Zack, 
dryly,  "  Pm  not  going  to  the  gate." 

Mrs.  Flood  was  instantly  on  the  defensive. 
"  There  was  no  reason  why  you  shouldn't  have 
gone  to  the  station  with  Minna  —  and  she  knew 
you  were  tired  out  —  but  there  was  no  reason 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  13 

for  you  to  go  —  it's  well  enough  for  Minna  to 
meet  her  cousin  alone;  young  people  get  ac- 
quainted better  when  old  people  are  not 
around." 

"  Who  are  '  old  people,'  Minnie?  Well  — " 
he  stood  beside  her  watching  the  automobile  as 
it  successfully  passed  through  the  big  gate,  "  you 
are  right  about  her  looks.  She  is  certainly  cut 
out  of  high-grade  cloth,  and,  in  comparison,  the 
girls  around  here  look  like  they'd  been  picked 
up  at  a  loom-end  sale." 

His  wife  patted  his  arm.  "  Look,  Zack,  how 
the  sunlight  gleams  on  her  hair.  Was  there 
anything  as  pretty  in  the  world?  And  that 
profile  of  peach-blossom,  so  dainty,  so  —  so 
aristocratic.  .  .  .  Let's  turn  away,  it's  bad  luck 
to  watch  her  out  of  sight." 

"  And  bad  luck  to  lose  sight  of  our  carpen- 
ters, Minnie  —  I  do  believe  every  hammer  has 
stopped.  And  that'll  never  do,  for  we've  got 
to  build  fast  to  keep  up  with  Minna.  You  know 
we've  added  a  room  to  our  original  shack  every 
time  daughter  has  expanded  a  new  notch."  The 
tall,  sandy-mustached  farmer  smiled  tolerantly. 


14          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  This  old-and-new  farm-house  is  a  record  of  her 
progress  from  the  cradle." 

Mrs.  Flood  did  not  smile  because  she  was 
afraid  there  might  be  some  lack  of  respect  to 
Minna  in  these  words.  "  I  don't  know  just 
what  you  do  mean,  Zack,  you  are  sometimes  so 
strange,  when  you  try  to  express  yourself 
(Minna  has  noticed  it,  too),  but  one  thing  is 
certain,  no  one  ever  had  a  more  obedient  daugh- 
ter than  Minna." 

"  How  do  you  know,  Minnie?  Did  you  ever 
test  her?" 

His  wife's  face  was  blank. 

"  I  mean,  honey,  did  you  ever  tell  her  to  do 
anything  unless  you  knew  beforehand  that  she 
wanted  to  do  it?  " 

While  Mrs.  Flood  was  indignantly  refuting 
this  half-humorous  charge,  the  object  of  the 
fond  parents'  discussion  was  speeding  not 
toward  the  station,  but  in  the  direction  of  Jack 
Palmer's  farm.  When  you  have  known  a  young 
man  well  enough  to  be  engaged  to  him,  what 
harm  lies  in  seeking  a  casual  greeting  —  a  call, 
as  it  were,  across  the  fence  he  has  erected  by 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  15 

his  recent  engagement  to  another  girl?  Min- 
na's veins  tingled  with  the  excitement  of  doing 
something  she  knew  to  be  quite  innocent,  but 
which  old  people  might  not  understand.  Her 
cheeks  were  rosy,  her  eyes  sparkled,  her  red  lips 
trembled  in  the  melting  ripples  of  swiftly  suc- 
ceeding smiles.  Ah,  it  was  good  to  be  home 
after  a  horrid  year's  grind  at  school  —  which, 
by  the  way,  did  not  seem  at  all  horrid  now  that 
she  looked  back  upon  the  past  months  with  their 
keen  delights  of  sorority  suppers  and  their  pale 
reminders  of  recitation-hours.  Those  recita- 
tion-hours had  always  been  interrupting  the  real 
business  of  life  —  if  it  hadn't  been  for  the  ac- 
tual necessity  of  studying,  possibly  the  theater- 
parties  and  midnight-suppers  and  the  constant 
use  of  a  friend's  automobile  might  have  kept 
her  less  homesick.  Anyway,  here  she  was  once 
more  at  home,  and  her  heart  leaped  high  — 
yonder  was  Jack's  farm,  smiling  in  the  sunlight 
like  an  old  friend. 

And  there  was  Jack,  himself,  the  same  Jack, 
even  stouter  perhaps,  but  not  handsomer  —  that 
was  impossible.  He  was  not  glad  to  see  Minna 


1 6          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

—  had  she  been  an  angel  of  light  in  an  automo- 
bile it  would  have  been  all  the  same  to  the  spir- 
ited young  horse  he  was  exercising;  and  any- 
thing that  made  Jack  get  out  in  the  middle  of  a 
dusty  country-road  in  the  hot  sun  to  hold  a 
troublesome  horse  was  an  unwelcome  thing  to 
him.  The  young  man  made  no  secret  of  the 
fact  that  he  found  all  violent  exertion  distaste- 
ful, but  he  wore  his  laziness  with  such  a  charm- 
ing air  that  the  very  souls  of  industry  regarded 
him  with  tolerance. 

In  the  college-town  where  Minna  had  en- 
joyed her  friend's  machine,  automobiles  were 
no  more  terrifying  to  the  horses  than  milk  to  a 
pet  lamb  brought  up  on  the  bottle.  In  the  pres- 
ent dilemma  she  did  not  know  whether  to  dart 
past  the  frantic  animal,  or  try  to  stop  before 
reaching  it.  On  one  side  was  a  tree,  on  the 
other,  a  long,  steep  ditch.  Jack  stood  near  the 
tree  clinging  desperately  to  the  horse  which  was 
kicking  the  buggy  to  pieces.  Minna  had  slowed 
down,  at  the  same  time  edging  toward  the  ditch. 
A  frantic  plunge  of  the  horse  unnerved  her,  and 
the  automobile  ran  over  the  margin  of  the  ra- 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  17 

vine  before  she  could  shut  off  the  power.  It 
paused  on  the  steep  depression,  its  lower  side- 
wheels  buried  in  mud  so  far  below  the  upper 
ones  that  it  seemed  a  miracle  its  equilibrium  was 
preserved. 

The  last  frenzied  effort  of  the  horse  freed  it 
of  the  buggy,  and  rearing  on  its  hind  legs  it 
threw  off  the  hands  of  its  master.  With  a 
bound  it  shot  forward  and  went  racing  down  the 
road  like  a  fleeing  shadow.  "  Go  on !  "  shouted 
Jack,  waving  his  arm  after  it.  "  Go  on !  Go 
on !  Go  on  to  the  —  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Minna,  glad  to  see  you.  Got  back  from  col- 
lege, eh?  And  how  are  you?  " 

He  slowly  crossed  the  street,  languidly  dab- 
bing at  his  handsome  dark  face  with  his  hand- 
kerchief, and  emitting  a  long  whistle  to  express 
exhaustion.  His  smile  was  not  all  one  of  hu- 
morous recognition  of  his  dusty  plight;  the  pic- 
ture presented  by  Minna  as  she  still  clung  to  the 
guiding-wheel  was  too  charming  to  fail  to  evoke 
a  gleam  of  admiration.  His  mind  slipped  back 
to  the  days  when  Juanita  Smith  was  a  negligible 
factor  in  the  sum  of  his  social  adventures. 


i8          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Oh,  Jack,  I  am  so,  so  sorry!  — " 

"  Let  me  help  you  out  of  that  thing  before  it 
turns  over;  and  being  sorry,  I'll  prepare  for  you 
the  stool  of  repentance." 

She  looked  down  at  him  with  a  distressed 
curve  of  her  mouth,  but  with  fun  in  her  eyes  — 
he  was  so  like  the  good  old  times. 

"  You  may  help  me  down  —  but  where  is  the 
stool  of  repentance?  " 

"  Here's  a  nice  shady  tree  —  I'll  spread  my 
coat  for  you  —  if  it's  still  in  the  buggy;  there's  a 
lovely  little  hillock  right  where  the  shade's  thick- 
est. You'll  have  to  cross  the  road,  though,  and 
that  will  ruin  your  slippers;  would  you  permit 
me  to  carry  you  as  they  did  in  the  romances?  " 

She  answered  lightly,  "  I  am  not  in  a  ro- 
mance," but  there  was  something  wistful  in  her 
far-away  look. 

"  But  you  are  in  white  slippers.  No?  Very 
well  —  I'll  get  my  coat  if  the  horse  hasn't 
kicked  it  to  rags." 

"  But  we  mustn't  sit  under  that  tree.  I  am 
on  the  way  to  the  station  to  meet  Richard,  and 
the  train  is  on  time.  And  besides,  I  believe  you 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  19 

could  get  my  auto  out  of  the  mud  with  one  of 
those  fence-rails,  especially  if  you  called  some- 
one to  help." 

He  cast  a  fleeting  look  at  the  automobile  but 
kept  on  toward  his  smashed-up  buggy. 
"  Here's  the  coat  —  it  still  has  the  collar  on." 
He  spread  it  on  the  grass,  where  the  shadow  fell 
at  an  inner  angle  of  the  fence.  "  You  must  ex- 
cuse me,  Minna,  for  speaking  plainly  to  an  old 
friend, —  but  I'm  not  going  to  work  myself  to 
death  to  prize  your  auto  out  of  the  mud.  And 
as  for  walking  to  the  next  farm  after  help,  it 
wouldn't  be  any  use.  Everybody  is  out  in  the 
cornfield  except  Alfred  and  he's  in  his  buggy 
driving  up  and  down  by  your  father's  place  hop- 
ing to  get  a  glimpse  of  you." 

Minna  laughed.  "  But,  Jack,  it  will  be  so 
perfectly  ridiculous,  sitting  here  on  the  road- 
side — " 

"  Minna,  you  pretend  to  be  repentant  but 
you're  not  half  sorry  enough.  Let  me  tell  you 
I  have  nothing  left  in  this  world.  The  buggy 
is  ruined,  and  the  horse  is  gone.  Now,  will  you 
sit  down  and  be  good?  And  I  hope  you  won't 


20          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

mind  if  I  smoke."  He  seated  himself  with  his 
back  against  the  tree  and  sighed  in  content  — 
"  This  is  comfort !  "  He  looked  at  her  in  full 
appreciation  of  her  radiant  beauty. 

Minna,  seated  upon  the  coat,  leaned  forward 
to  pluck  a  seeded  stem  of  bluegrass.  "  You 
have  your  farm,  you  know,"  she  reasoned. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  haven't.     Everything's  gone." 

"Everything?" 

"  Yeh." 

"But  — but  how?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  —  just  went." 

"  Everything,  Jack?  " 

"  Everything." 

"  No,  no  —  you  have  Juanita." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  I'd  forgotten  her."  Jack  lit  a 
cigarette.  There  was  an  uncertain  silence,  then 
— "  Yes,  I  have  Juanita.  Minna,  what  was  it 
you  and  I  quarreled  about,  last  year?  " 

"Did  we  quarrel?  "  she  asked,  opening  her 
eyes  wide. 

"  If  we  didn't,  where  did  Juanita  come  in?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  you  in  the  least.  And 
I  believe  that's  the  train  whistling." 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  21 

"  I  think  it  is,  too.  I  guess  Dicky  will  have 
to  walk." 

"  If  you  would  find  somebody  to  help  prize 
the  car  out  of  the  ditch  —  I  know  you  could  find 
a  man  if  you'd  try." 

"  But  the  sun  is  so  hot  —  and  it's  so  dusty  — 
Minna,  just  think  about  how  sorry  you  are, 
that  ought  to  fill  your  mind  to  the  brim.  Yes, 
— •  it  was  because  you  persisted  in  dancing  with 
Alfred  Montgomery;  you  knew  he  was  in  love 
with  you,  yet  knowing  it,  and  him  with  that  name 
such  as  no  son  of  the  soil  has  a  right  to !  —  and 
after  I  had  marked  that  dance,  too  —  Well,  it's 
all  over,  of  course.  Minna,  did  your  father 
ever  find  out  we  were  engaged?" 

"  I  don't  know  how  you  can  call  it  that  — 
we  were  just  children." 

"  Well,  whatever  you  call  it,  did  your  father 
know  about  it?  " 

Minna  dimpled.  "  You  don't  think  I'd 
bother  father  and  mother  with  such  things  do 
you?  —  they'd  worry,  and  couldn't  understand." 

"  I'm  glad  I  don't  think  as  little  of  myself  as 
your  father  does!  Mr.  Flood  can't  bear  the 


22          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

sight  of  me  and  that's  why  I've  imagined  you 
told  him  of  our  engagement  and  he  put  his  foot 
down.  Then  you  didn't  dance  with  Alfred 
Montgomery  that  time  because  your  father 
scolded  you  for  wearing  my  ring?  " 

Minna  was  amused  and  astonished.  "  Surely 
you  can't  imagine  I'd  tell  him  about  rings.  A 
father  wouldn't  understand.  Of  course  not, 
Jack,  you  are  just  as  ridiculous  as  ever!  I 
danced  with  Alfred  —  because  I  wanted  to." 

"  No,  that  isn't  the  reason;  it  was  because  you 
didn't  want  to.  Listen  —  are  those  wheels? 
If  it's  your  father  coming,  I  imagine  he'll  find 
something  else  hard  for  him  to  understand." 

"  Ditto  Juanita  Smith,"  murmured  Minna, 
who  felt  secure  about  her  father  and  indifferent 
about  Juanita. 

A  buggy  came  in  sight.  "  Blessed  if  it  isn't 
that  Alfred  Montgomery !  "  exclaimed  Jack  with 
a  whistle.  "  That  fellow  seems  to  know  by  in- 
stinct which  way  you  go."  He  rose,  impa- 
patiently. 

"  Yes,  help  me  up,"  murmured  Minna,  reach- 
ing out  her  hand;  "one  is  always  so  proper 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  23 

when  Alfred  is  present.     When  he  comes  into 
a  room,  people  remember  to  try  to  be  good." 

'  That's  why  he's  so  unpopular,"   Jack  re- 
marked. 

When  the  buggy  stopped  abreast  of  them, 
the  driver  presented  a  sharp  contrast  to  the 
young  man  standing  under  the  tree.  Alfred 
Montgomery  seemed  taller  and  thinner  from 
being  brought  into  the  same  field  of  vision  with 
Jack  Palmer's  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds, 
and  any  charm  of  the  gaunt  young  student's 
face  was  discounted  by  the  rounded  cheeks,  the 
full,  well-formed  mouth,  the  jolly  black  eyes  — 
in  a  word  the  whole  air  of  good-feeding,  good- 
feeling  and  graceful  languor  of  Minna's  com- 
panion. 

Alfred  leaped  to  the  ground  and  there  were 
greetings  full  of  delicious  romance  for  him  not 
untouched  by  vague  misgivings.  Minna  threw 
a  weight  of  pleased  surprise  into  her  smile  and 
handclasp,  because,  found  under  the  tree  with 
Jack,  she  marked  the  more  distinctly  all  exter- 
nals of  delight.  She  said  she  was  so  glad  to 
see  him  after  her  year's  absence  and  why  should 


24          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

he  doubt  it,  since  he  was  thrilled  to  the  heart  at 
the  touch  of  her  hand.  But  was  she  that  glad? 
Why  not,  since  Jack  was  now  safely  out  of  the 
way  —  irretrievably  betrothed  to  Juanita  Smith, 
the  fact  publicly  and  officially  stamped  with  a 
dinner  and  a  "  shower  "  looking  forward  to  the 
wedding-day,  three  months  distant. 

'  You'd  better  hold  that  horse  of  yours,"  re- 
marked Jack,  who  found  the  greetings  too  pro- 
tracted; they  had  shaken  hands,  they  had  asked 
how  each  other  was,  they  had  talked  about  the 
mired  machine,  and  now  Alfred  had  better  go 
along.  "  That  horse  of  yours  is  skittish ;  it's 
no  more  auto-proof  than  the  beast  I  once 
owned." 

Alfred  was  ready  to  go.  He  would  take 
Minna  home  and  bring  strong  men  to  exhume 
the  wheels  — 

"  Oh,  no,  you  don't,"  retorted  Jack,  decidedly. 
"  Minna  can't  leave  this  spot.  She  has  to 
watch  her  —  I  mean  that  train  has  already  come 
and  Richard  must  be  met;  you  can  meet  her." 

"  Oh,  please  do,  Alfred!  "  exclaimed  Minna 
in  sudden  distress  —  she  had  forgotten  Rich- 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  25 

ard.  "  Poor  little  thing,  it  will  seem  so  strange 
to  her  —  Richard  is  my  little  cousin ;  do  you  re- 
member her?  " 

Alfred  shook  his  head.  "  If  Jack  knows 
her,"  he  suggested,  "  he  can  take  my  horse  — " 

"  Oh,  come !  "  Jack  expostulated.  "  Look 
here,  Alf,  do  you  mean  to  pretend  you've  for- 
gotten that  little  girl  that  visited  Minna  two  or 
three  years  ago  —  the  skinny  little  creature  with 
the  very  dark  complexion  and  the  very  big  eyes, 
the  girl  that  was  named  Richard,  in  short?  " 

Alfred  turned  to  Minna  with  the  air  of  a 
martyr  — "  Do  you  want  me  to  go  ?  " 

"  Alfred,  it  would  be  perfectly  lovely  of 
you.  Poor  Richard  lost  her  father  a  year  ago, 
and  now  she's  coming  to  live  with  us  —  she  has 
no  one  else  —  I  know  she  is  at  the  station  now, 
feeling  miserable  because  we  aren't  there  to 
meet  her  —  won't  you  explain  about  the  auto- 
mobile?" 

With  grave  cheerfulness,  Alfred  climbed  into 
his  buggy.  "  I'm  to  look  for  a  little  girl  named 
Richard—?" 

"  Richard  Warding." 


26          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"Very  skinny;  very  big  eyes;  very 
dark—?" 

"  Yes;  or  at  least  was,  about  three  years  ago." 

"  Also  very  young?  " 

"  She  ought  to  be  sixteen,  now,  I  think." 

"  Let  us  hope  she's  been  good,"  remarked 
Jack,  "  and  that  she  is  sixteen.  To  that,  you 
must  add  a  long  period  of  waiting  at  the  sta- 
tion." 

"Poor  Richard!"  Minna  exclaimed  with 
compunction. 

"  And  if  she  has  her  Almanac,  that  would 
help  identify  her,"  Jack  added  as  an  after- 
thought. 

Minna  turned  her  back  upon  Jack.  "  Al- 
fred, I  can't  thank  you  enough  for  this  trouble 
and  —  and  kindness." 

As  her  grateful  eyes  met  his,  Alfred's  thin 
face  glowed.  He  shook  the  lines,  and  his  rest- 
ive horse  dashed  away  that  Richard  might  not 
wait  a  moment  longer  than  necessary. 

When  he  was  gone,  Minna  turned  to  her  com- 
panion and  looked  at  him  with  a  slow  smile. 
"  Almanac !  "  she  repeated.  Her  rebuke  might 


AN  ENGAGEMENT  27 

as  easily  have  been  a  laugh.  She  found  him  a 
mere  boy  after  Alfred's  earnestness ;  his  physical 
appeal  was  enhanced,  and  the  lightness  of  his 
wit  still  unapproachable.  Of  course  the  old 
days  were  dead  and  buried  —  but  there  could 
never  be  another  Jack  Palmer.  Apparently  Al- 
fred Montgomery  was  as  devoted  as  ever;  no- 
body was  truer,  or  more  useful,  or  more  willing 
than  poor  Alfred.  But  oh,  the  sunny,  good- 
natured,  easy-going,  life-enjoying  selfishness  of 
this  Jack  Palmer!  It  made  her  smile  to  think 
of  it. 

"Aren't  you  tired?"  inquired  Jack,  looking 
about  for  the  densest  shade ;  "  let's  sit  down !  " 


CHAPTER  II 

CONFIDENCES 

WHEN  Alfred  drove  up  to  the 
Pendleton  station  its  closed  doors 
and  windows,  and  his  knowledge 
that  there  would  not  be  another  train  till  morn- 
ing, made  him  conclude  that  the  place  was  de- 
serted; but  as  he  turned  half-round  with  the 
intention  of  seeking  Minna  Flood's  cousin  at  the 
hotel,  he  caught  sight  of  someone  around  the 
corner.  On  the  platform  skirting  the  sidetrack, 
the  shadow  of  the  station-house  threw  a  trian- 
gular shadow  and  in  the  apex  of  this  shadow 
sat  a  girl  on  a  small  trunk,  her  back  toward  the 
young  man. 

Alfred  tied  his  horse  to  a  ring  in  the  floor 
and  went  around  the  red  building  which  was 
silent  save  for  the  spasmodic  clicking  in  the 
empty  telegraph-office.  The  girl  held  a  note- 
book in  one  hand,  a  pencil  in  the  other,  while 
28 


CONFIDENCES  29 

her  handbag  rested  upon  her  lap,  its  black,  shiny 
side  doing  service  as  a  desk.  A  broad-brimmed 
hat  concealed  her  face,  but  her  thin,  angular 
form  was  revealed  in  the  homely  dress  designed 
to  wear  rather  than  to  fit.  The  economy  scheme 
suggested  by  the  cheap  hat  and  meager  skirt 
was  carried  out  in  the  heavy  shoes;  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that  here  sat  a  poor  relation. 

"  Very  skinny,"  reflected  Alfred;  and,  in  or- 
der to  verify  the  rest  of  Jack  Palmer's  descrip- 
tion, he  said,  aloud,  "  Writing  back  home?  " 

The  big  hat  flashed  round  and  its  flaring 
white  band  framed  a  dark  face  strongly  sug- 
gestive of  a  certain  type  of  beauty  which  as  yet 
sixteen  years  had  failed  to  realize, —  a  face 
marked  by  vivacity  which  no  additional  number 
of  years  could  be  expected  to  quicken.  Perhaps 
her  spectacles  interfered  with  good  looks  and 
heightened  the  impression  of  wisdom;  at  any 
rate,  they  were  the  finishing  touch  to  a  picture 
so  quaint  and  unusual  that  he  was  both  amused 
and  touched. 

"  I  was  plotting,"  she  said,  getting  off  the 
trunk  as  quickly  as  the  handbag,  notebook  and 


30          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

pencil  permitted.  "  How  do  you  do,  Mr. 
Montgomery.  Did  they  send  you  for  me?" 

"Then  this  is  Richard?"  They  shook 
hands.  "  But  how  could  you  know  me?  " 

"  I  was  here  three  years  ago,"  she  reminded 
him,  with  a  grave  smile;  "  I  remember  all  the 
old  people,  you  especially." 

"Was  I  especially  old,  three  years  ago?57 
He  reached  for  her  handbag  protestingly.  Per- 
haps the  loneliness  of  the  scene  strengthened  his 
sense  of  her  unusualness.  Against  the  back- 
ground of  dusty  freight-cars  standing  with  doors 
rolled  back,  of  tracks  glimmering  away  to  steel 
points,  of  rutted  roads  with  their  white  glare 
and  smell  of  sun-scorched  weeds,  the  girl  stood 
out  sharply-defined  as  a  newcomer  from  some 
unknown  world. 

"  I'd  rather  carry  it,  please,"  she  said,  hold- 
ing the  handbag  against  her  breast;  "  my  manu- 
script's in  it." 

Alfred  found  himself  wondering  why  he 
didn't  laugh ;  the  inclination  was  strong,  though 
he  was  a  rather  serious,  thoughtful  young  man; 
it  must  have  been  her  eyes  that  preserved  his 


CONFIDENCES  31 

gravity.  Jack  Palmer  had  pronounced  them 
"  very  big  "  and  so  they  were,  while  in  their 
dark  gray  depths,  timid  yet  investigating,  looked 
forth  a  spirit  of  unrest. 

"  I  thought  you  very,  very  old,  because  I 
was  so  young,"  she  went  on.  "  But  I  liked  it. 
Children  have  never  appealed  to  me,  because 
they  interrupt  one.  I  think  children  the  great 
interruptions  of  life."  She  made  a  step  toward 
the  buggy  as  if  to  indicate  that  she  had  closed 
that  subject.  "  Can  we  get  my  trunk  hauled  out 
to  the  farm  this  evening?  I  thought  Uncle 
Zack  would  have  sent  a  wagon." 

Alfred  explained  that  the  trunk  was  to  have 
been  put  in  the  automobile  —  however,  the 
owner  of  a  spring-wagon  devoted  to  light  haul- 
ing, lived  not  far  out  of  their  way. 

"  Is  it  a  'very  small  wagon?  "  Richard  asked, 
doubtfully.  "  My  property  will  come  in  a  few 
days  and  a  small  wagon  might  not  be  able  to 
hold  it  all.  And  we  ought  to  make  a  bar- 
gain with  whoever  hauls  the  trunk,  to  haul 
my  property;  you  can  get  it  done  cheaper  that 
way." 


32          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Alfred  was  unfastening  his  horse;  he  looked 
up  in  surprise.  "  So  you  are  moving  here?  " 

"  I  am  to  live  with  Uncle  Zack.  When 
father  died  everything  was  sold  that  I  could 
spare.  Uncle  Zack  wanted  me  to  come  right 
to  his  place,  then,  but  there's  no  place  like  Tins- 
ville.  Ever  since  I  can  remember,  father 
preached  for  a  church  there ;  we  got  poorer  and 
poorer,  but  he  was  determined  for  me  to  gradu- 
ate at  Tinsville  College  —  were  you  ever  at 
Tinsville?" 

"  I  may  have  passed  through,"  Alfred  could 
not  remember  having  ever  heard  of  the  place 
before.  He  helped  her  in  the  buggy  and  they 
drove  off. 

"  It's  the  dearest  town !  The  people  are  not 
very  friendly,  but  I  just  love  the  sidewalks  —  I 
know  where  all  the  broken  planks  are.  After 
everything  was  sold,  there  was  enough  to  board 
me  a  year  and  get  me  through  college;  I'm 
pretty  young  to  graduate  but  I  got  started  a 
long  time  ago.  Uncle  Zack  —  he's  my 
guardian  —  agreed  to  let  me  stay  to  finish,  it 
was,  oh,  so  independent,  paying  my  own  money 


CONFIDENCES  33 

for  everything,  the  money  father  had  earned 
with  his  very  heart's  blood.  And  oh,  it  was  so 
dear,  living  right  there  in  Tinsville  .  .  . 
seemed  like  I  could  hear  his  voice  and  his  foot- 
steps and  the  way  he'd  shut  the  gate  and  then 
shake  it  to  be  sure  it  was  fast.  All  the  time  the 
train  was  bringing  me  here,  father's  footsteps 
seemed  to  be  dying  away  —  dying  away  — " 
The  voice  broke  with  a  sob.  "  I'm  afraid  I'll 
not  hear  them  again  so  far  away  from  home." 

"  But  this  is  home,  now,"  Alfred  gave  her 
arm  a  sympathetic  pat  as  he  drove  rapidly  away 
from  the  straggling  outskirts  of  Pendleton. 

"  Yes.  And  of  course  the  place  doesn't 
adorn  the  person,"  she  remarked  in  a  matter-of- 
fact  tone,  as  she  dried  her  eyes.  "  I  realize 
that  whatever  I'm  to  be  depends  on  what  I  do 
before  I  can  be  it."  She  folded  her  small  hands 
on  her  knees  and  looked  through  her  spectacles 
very  intently  as  if  trying  to  make  out  the  peak 
of  some  high  but  exceedingly  remote  ideal. 

"  May  I  ask  what  you  are  to  be,  Richard?  " 

"  A  Power,"  she  answered,  simply. 

He  glanced  sidewise  at  the  thin,  girlish  figure 


34 

which  could  hardly  have  looked  less  like  the 
realization  of  her  ambition.  "  Perhaps  you 
were  plotting  for  power,"  he  suggested  respect- 
fully, "  when  I  first  saw  you?  " 

"  I  am  an  author,"  she  explained  simply. 
"  Have  you  forgotten  about  the  wagon  to  haul 
my  trunk?  " 

"  The  fact  is,  after  what  you  said  about 
your  property,  I  concluded  it  would  be  best  for 
Mr.  Flood  to  order  the  dray  by  telephone  — 
one  large  enough  to  hold  your  furniture.  Have 
you  had  any  of  your  works  published?  " 

"  Yes,  but  only  in  the  Tinsville  Weekly,"  she 
answered,  modestly.  "  I  suppose  you  have 
never  seen  the  Tinsville  Weekly  —  it  is  local. 
It  isn't  furniture  to  be  hauled,  but  books. 
That's  all  I  have,  just  books ;  sixteen  boxes  full, 
and  the  boxes  are  quite  large.  It  takes  four 
men  to  lift  some  of  them.  It's  a  library.  The 
books  are  my  tools.  I  hope  with  these  tools," 
she  added,  cheerfully,  "  to  break  open  the  door 
of  Fame.  Of  course  I  know  it'll  be  pretty 
hard,  but  I  don't  enjoy  doing  easy  things,  do 
you  ?  It  makes  you  feel  that  you  are  only  an  or- 


CONFIDENCES  35 

dinary  person  when  you  do  what  everybody  else 
is  doing.  I  have  always  been  serious-minded. 
You  must  be  serious-minded  to  accomplish  very 
much.  You  see,  there  are  so  many  things  for 
me  to  overcome  —  I  am  poor,  oh,  you  can't  feel 
how  poor;  though  you  know  I  haven't  a  thing 
but  those  books,  it's  different  from  feeling  it. 
You've  got  to  be  the  thing  to  feel  how  it  is. 
And  then,  besides  poverty,  I  am  homely — " 

"  I  do  not  think  you  at  all  homely,  Richard; 
your  face  if  you  will  let  an  old  man  say  so,  is 
very  bright  —  and  —  and  very  sweet." 

The  color  stole  into  her  cheeks.  "  I  do  not 
think  you  are  an  old  enough  man  for  me  to  per- 
mit you  to  call  me  that.  Of  course  I  am  just  a 
child  to  you,  but  I  am  a  grown  woman  to  myself. 
It's  what  you  are  to  yourself  that  makes  you 
anything  at  all  to  outsiders." 

Alfred  inquired  gravely,  "  Perhaps  it  is 
wrong  in  me  to  call  you  '  Richard.'  Should  I 
say  'Miss  Warding'?" 

"  I  think  it  would  be  very  nice  of  you.  And 
I  will  admit  that  it  didn't  really  displease  me, 
what  you  said  —  I  mean  about  my  looks.  I 


36          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

know  I  am  not  what  you  would  call  ugly;  but 
all  you  have  to  do  is  to  put  me  beside  Cousin 
Minna  to  know  that  if  I  ever  succeed,  it'll  not 
be  because  of  my  face.  As  for  form,  there  is 
none." 

Alfred  had  an  impulse  to  laugh  outright,  and 
another  impulse  to  put  his  arm  about  the  ex- 
ceedingly erect  figure  and  give  her  a  hearty  em- 
brace as  a  sign  of  the  exhilarating  delight  he 
took  in  her  personality.  Repressing  these  tend- 
encies, he  addressed  her  with  the  solemnity  due 
one  philosopher  from  another  — "  Authorship, 
I  presume,  comes  natural  to  you?  " 

She  glowed.  "  I  look  around  on  these 
beautiful  farms  we  are  passing  —  the  miles  of 
fields  and  pastures  with  the  ponds  and  the  cows 
standing  in  the  shade  —  and  it  makes  me  want 
to  write.  What?  I  don't  know.  I  suppose 
in  due  time  I  shall  know  just  what  to  write; 
now,  I  only  feel  that  I  must  write  —  something. 
That  shows  that  it  was  born  in  me.  Some 
authors  are  made.  I  may  be  made,  too;  but  I'll 
be  made  out  of  what  I  was  in  the  beginning. 
The  main  thing  I  need  is  experience.  When 


CONFIDENCES  37 

father  died,  somehow  it  was  the  people  who  had 
lost  their  fathers  that  could  say  something  in  a 
way  to  do  me  good.  They  said  the  same  things 
the  others  said  —  and  oh,  Mr.  Montgomery, 
there  isn't  anything  to  say  unless  you've 
felt  the  words  for  yourself.  If  you've  felt  it, 
don't  be  afraid  to  speak  out.  I  don't  want  to 
write  words,  I  want  to  write  feelings.  That's 
why  I'm  so  limited  by  my  age,  and  by  having 
never  traveled,  or  known  many  different  kinds 
of  people.  Almost  everybody  I  ever  knew 
were  all  of  the  same  kind."  There  was  a  pause, 
then  she  added,  musingly: 

"  I  have  looked  on  death,  but  I  have  never 
known  love." 

"  They're  similar,"  Alfred  declared, 
promptly. 

Richard  looked  at  him  with  no  suggestion  of 
humor  in  her  eyes  which  were  at  once  shy 
and  brave.  Her  eagerness  for  enlightenment 
seemed  blended  with  gentle  sympathy  while  her 
thought  hovered  on  the  farthest  verge  of  speech. 
Alfred  had  the  queer  impression  that  she  was 
reaching  forth  with  a  sort  of  spiritual  dipper 


38          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

to  ladle  a  brimming  bowl  of  experience  out  of 
his  heart;  but  so  kind  and  delicate  was  the  hand 
on  the  handle  that  he  did  not  flinch. 

"  You  may  ask  any  question,"  he  said,  with- 
out a  smile. 

"  Do  you  still  — "  She  hesitated,  anxious 
to  find  words  which  would  express  exactly  what 
she  meant,  but  at  the  same  time  avoid  wound- 
ing him  by  being  muffled  in  general  phrases. 
"  Does  your  heart  still  go  forth  to  my 
cousin?  " 

He  started,  but  there  was  not  a  trace  of  dis- 
pleasure on  his  face.  "  What  an  observant  lit- 
tle girl  you  must  have  been,  three  years  ago!  " 
he  explained. 

"  Yes,"  she  explained,  simply,  "  part  of  my 
business  is  to  observe  Nature.  Father  used  to- 
say  that  there  was  a  prime  essential  for  one  in 
my  field  of  work,  just  as  there  was  one  prime  es- 
sential in  his.  Mine  was  Observation.  His 
was  Audiences.  His  were  not  very  large,  for 
Tinsville  has  only  about  fifteen  hundred 
in  it,  and  there  are  six  churches,  not  count- 
ing the  Stay  Outers,  so  you  had  to  di- 


CONFIDENCES  39 

vide  up  the  people  to  go  around  or  to  stay  out 
(Stay  Outers  are  those  that  had  belonged  to 
churches  before  they  moved  to  Tinsville  but 
didn't  want  to  go  on  with  their  religion).  So 
father  and  I  worked  together;  he  had  his  audi- 
ences and  I  observed." 

She  stopped  talking  and  looked  at  him  in  re- 
minder that  he  had  not  answered  her  question. 
Alfred  said,  "  Yes  —  it  still  goes  forth." 

"  I  don't  wonder,"  she  declared.  "  I  think 
Cousin  Minna  is  the  prettiest  woman  in  all  the 
world ;  she  is  just  perfectly  lovely  —  and  the 
sweetest  thing !  "  Her  face  glowed  with  such 
generous  enthusiasm  that  she  was  fairly  pretty, 
herself. 

"  She  is !  "  he  cried,  his  thin  cheeks  touched 
with  red.  "  Her  loveliness  is  beyond  expres- 
sion. And  she  is  so  good,  so  kind — " 

"  She  wouldn't  hurt  an  insect!  "  Richard  cor- 
roborated. "  I  remember  how  bad  the  ants 
were  that  summer  I  staid  on  the  farm,  and 
everything  was  set  in  water;  but  Cousin  Minna 
wouldn't  kill  one  of  'em.  Uncle  Zack  said  he 
believed  Cousin  Minna  would  stand  on  one  foot 


40 

in  a  bowl  of  water  so  the  ants  couldn't  get  to 
her,  rather  than  destroy  them." 

Alfred  felt  that  Minna's  father  had  gone  too 
far  in  presenting  such  a  picture  to  the  imagina- 
tion, and  only  said,  as  if  giving  the  final  word, 
"  She  is  in  every  particular  altogether  ador- 
able." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Richard,  heartily,  "  that 
yours  is  a  happy  attachment." 

He  uttered  a  groan  half  humorous,  half  real. 
"O  Richard  —  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss 
Warding — I'm  afraid  it'll  never  be  any  use. 
Maybe  if  we  hadn't  always  known  each  other 
and  lived  so  near.  .  .  .  Maybe  if  I  could  be 
different  —  I'm  so  stupid  in  company,  so  dull 
and  awkward  —  such  a  wretched  companion 
for  that  gay,  care-free  angel !  I  try  to  think  of 
something  to  say  that'll  be  worth  her  hearing, 
and  in  the  meantime  somebody  else  has  poured 
a  bushel  of  words  into  her  ear.  I  can't  offer 
chaff  to  a  girl  like  Minna,  little  inane  common- 
places seem  sacrilege  when  her  glorious  brown 
eyes,  all  full  of  heavenly  light,  are  looking  into 
mine.  There's  an  air  about  her,  like  meadow- 


CONFIDENCES  41 

air  before  the  sun  is  up  —  it  makes  me  want  to 
bare  my  head  and  stand  motionless  and  just 
breathe  in  the  fragrance;  yet  the  difference  is 
great  —  one  feels  his  right  to  the  meadow- 
air  with  all  its  cooling  dews  and  early  bird- 
songs  —  but  I'll  never  have  a  right  to  Minna, 
I'm  so  different,  so  commonplace  —  I  feel  so 
heavily  conscious  that  I'm  —  that  I'm  a  —  a 
man." 

11  This  is  deep,"  Richard  said.  "  I'm  not 
old  enough  to  understand.  As  far  as  I  have 
got,  I  think  it's  perfectly  splendid  to  be  a  man 
—  if  I  were  a  man,  only  the  world  would  be 
big  enough  to  hold  me  —  being  a  woman,  Tins- 
ville  is  big  enough  for  me.  Oh,  there's  that 
great  cottonwood-tree  I  just  loved,  three  years 
ago,  the  only  tree  in  sight  —  nothing  else  but 
fields  of  corn  and  this  road.  I  published  a 
poem  about  that  tree  last  year.  Would  you 
like  for  me  to  tell  you  the  sentiment?  " 

"  Thank  you;  by  all  means." 

"  The  first  stanza  described  the  tree.  I 
made  you  hear  its  leaves  crinkling  in  the  breeze 
like  the  sound  of  a  little  waterfall.  Then  I 


42 

said,  '  There  it  stands  with  its  shade  on  the 
thick  grass,  laughing  all  day  and  night,  most  of 
the  time  with  not  a  soul  to  look  at  it.  Some- 
times a  bird  comes,  but  more  often  not'  (it 
was  all  in  rhyme).  'And  yet' — I  said — 'if 
I  should  go  back  there,  twenty  years  hence,  the 
same  tree  with  the  same  rippling  laughter  and 
the  same  cool  shade  would  be  waiting  for  me. 
If  it  is  my  lot  to  stand  alone  ' —  that  was  the 
last  stanza  — '  with  no  friends  to  share  my  days 
and  nights,  perhaps  not  even  the  birds  to  sing 
for  me,  will  /  be  as  brave  as  that  tree,  always 
rippling  out  my  happy  music,  always  keeping 
my  shade  ready  for  some  weary  traveler? ' 
That  was  all.  It  stopped  with  a  question  be- 
cause I  don't  know.  But  I  hope  the  answer  is 
'  You  will! '  " 

"  I'm  sure  it  is !  Minna's  automobile  was 
ditched  in  front  of  the  Palmer  farm;  we'll  go 
by  and  find  if  Jack  has  righted  it." 

"  Is  he  as  fat  as  ever?  " 

"  He's  very  fat,"  Alfred  replied  briefly,  not 
caring  to  discuss  his  rival.  "  But  —  he's  en- 
gaged, now." 


CONFIDENCES  43 

"  Oh,  oh !  "  Richard  exclaimed  in  consterna- 
tion. "  To  Cousin  Minna  ?  " 

There  had  been  too  much  reason  for  this 
conclusion,  to  permit  Alfred  the  relief  of 
laughter.  "  No,  Miss  Warding,  to  Juanita 
Smith." 

"Juanita  Smith!  But  she  is  so  very  little, 
and  Mr.  Jack  is  so  very  big  —  and  fat.  And 
Juanita  was  so  still  and  dissatisfied;  and 
Mr.  Jack  was  so  —  noisy  and  knocking-down- 
things." 

"  Please  don't  try  to  dissatisfy  Jack  with 
Juanita!"  said  Alfred,  drily.  "Ah  —  there 
they  are." 

A  turn  in  the  road  spread  out  the  scene  be- 
fore them  like  a  picture  flooded  with  sunshine. 
Five  men  were  toiling  with  the  automobile 
while  a  sixth,  with  his  back  on  the  ground,  was 
studying  its  lower  parts.  In  the  Palmer  yard 
which  rose  directly  from  the  road  in  a  gentle 
ascent,  Jack  Palmer  and  Minna  Flood  were 
seated  in  chairs  on  a  grassy  knoll  whence  they 
could  watch  operations  and  at  the  same  time 
keep  cool.  Minna's  lace  fan  looked  absurdly 


44          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

incongruous  as  wielded  by  the  young  giant,  but 
in  spite  of  much  flesh,  his  dainty  shirtwaist,  his 
scrupulously  neat  collar  and  tie,  and  his  jealous 
avoidance  of  unnecessary  forms  of  exertion, 
saved  him  from  any  suggestion  of  coarseness. 

"  They  see  us ! "  exclaimed  Richard  ex- 
citedly. 

As  she  spoke,  Jack  started  to  rise,  then  sank 
back  as  if  unequal  to  the  effort.  He  lazily 
waved  his  handkerchief,  turned  to  Minna,  and 
said  something  that  made  her  laugh. 

Richard  remarked  gravely,  "  Miss  Juanita 
should  be  there." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN 

SEVERAL  weeks  had  passed  since  the 
misadventure  of  Minna's  automobile 
before  Minna  decided  to  combine  a 
cool,  fragrant  afternoon  in  early  July  with  a 
dainty  new  pink  dress,  by  going  fishing.  She 
had  done  everything  since  her  return  from  col- 
lege but  fish  —  given  house-parties,  gone  to 
house-parties,  entertained,  been  entertained, 
driven  to  town  in  her  automobile  —  Jack  did 
not  like  to  drive  —  to  the  club-dances,  taken 
select  parties  to  the  city,  thirty  miles  away,  to 
attend  the  lightest  of  light  operas  —  Jack  did 
not  care  for  anything  heavy.  Of  course  there 
were  other  people  besides  Jack  Palmer.  But 
these  others  —  rather  unimportant  people,  such 
as  Juanita  Smith,  Alfred  Montgomery  and  the 
like  —  shaped  their  wishes  after  Jack's;  for  if 
Jack  did  not  want  to  do  a  thing,  he  wouldn't 
do  it. 

45 


46          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Having  done  everything  else,  Minna  now 
went  in  search  of  fishing-rods  wondering  rather 
ruefully  what  she  would  do  after  she  had  fished. 
She  might  spend  a  week  or  two  with  a  school- 
mate in  Wyoming  or  with  another  at  Palm 
Beach,  for  it  distressed  her  to  witness  how  hard 
her  mother  worked.  As  long  as  she  stayed  on 
the  farm,  she  would  have  to  see  that.  It  was 
hard  to  induce  a  cook  and  housemaid  to  stay 
three  miles  from  Pendleton,  so  a  good  deal  of 
the  housework  fell  upon  her  mother  who  was 
not  very  strong.  But  that  was  not  the  worst; 
Minna  was  used  to  that.  It  was  the  dresses; 
her  dresses.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  for 
her  to  be  decently  dressed ;  she  did  all  she  could 
to  help  —  made  trips  to  the  city  to  buy  the 
goods,  consulted  patterns  and  made  artistic  se- 
lections; but  after  she  had  taken  any  amount 
of  trouble,  the  goods  still  had  to  be  stitched  to- 
gether. Hired  dressmakers  spent  weeks  at  a 
time  in  the  big,  cool  sitting-room  where  the  elms 
softened  the  glare  of  the  windows;  but  her 
mother  was  obliged  to  oversee,  even  to  help. 

However,  there  was  no  use  to  bother  about 


47 

it,  this  afternoon;  the  new  pink  dress  was  only 
a  plain,  home-affair,  nothing  that  she  could 
dream  of  wearing  to  town,  or  receive  in  —  it 
was  for  the  farm,  and  would  go  better  with 
fishing  than  with  anything  else.  Elaborate  cos- 
tumes would  be  out  of  place  at  the  branch,  and 
yet  if  any  one  did  happen  to  find  her  there,  a 
new  pink  dress  would  not  prove  discreditable. 
Jack  would  see  at  a  glance  that  it  was  very 
plain  but  he  would  find  her  face  and  neck  set 
off  to  a  certain  advantage. 

The  fishing-rods  used  to  be  kept  in  the  tool- 
house  and  thither  Minna  picked  her  dainty 
way,  her  care-free  song  mingling  with  the  ham- 
mering of  carpenters  which  resounded  from  the 
new  room  being  finished  over  the  old  dining- 
room.  That  was  to  be  Minna's  library  and 
there  she  would  keep  all  those  beautiful  gift- 
books  into  whose  mouths  she  never  looked. 

Zack  Flood  stood  under  the  ladder  oversee- 
ing his  carpenters  just  as  Mrs.  Flood  was 
overseeing  her  dressmakers,  and  Minna  went 
out  of  her  way  to  pat  his  arm.  "  Dear  Father," 
she  said,  breaking  off  her  song,  "  you  are  so 


48 

good  to  me."  Then  she  tripped  to  the  tool- 
house  where  she  found  her  young  cousin,  pen 
in  hand.  Richard,  at  the  interruption,  looked 
up  from  her  desk  with  an  agonized  expression 
as  if  her  brain  were  in  labor  to  give  birth  to 
a  great  thought. 

"  Do  come  on,  dear,"  cried  Minna,  breezily, 
as  she  took  down  the  dusty  rods  and  daintily 
brushed  them,  "  I'm  going  fishing  and  you  must 
go,  too.  What  a  little  hermit!  This  stuffy 
old  place." 

"  Cousin  Minna,  I  haven't  time  to  go." 
Richard  looked  despairingly  about  the  uncar- 
peted  room  with  its  long  knife-hacked  work- 
bench, its  tools  on  shelves  along  the  board  walls, 
and  the  loose  planks  laid  across  the  rafters. 
The  little  desk  stood  at  the  low  wide  window 
opposite  the  workbench  while  at  its  other  side 
her  boxes  of  books  stood  on  end  to  form  a  par- 
tition. True,  she  could  look  over  them  at  the 
rest  of  the  room,  and  when  feeling  the  need  of 
company,  she  did  so;  otherwise  it  was  easy  to 
imagine  herself  securely  isolated. 

Minna,  however,  came  around  the  rampart 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     49 

as  if  it  did  not  exist.  u  You  are  not  going  to 
stay  in  this  smelly  old  toolhouse  while  I'm  en- 
joying the  breezes  down  at  the  branch.  Come, 
dear,  don't  be  an  old  maid!  " 

The  other  rose  with  a  sigh.  Whenever 
Minna  made  up  her  mind  to  make  Richard 
happy,  there  was  no  use  to  resist.  The  girl 
snatched  up  her  tablet  and  pencil,  and  followed 
down  across  the  pasture  to  the  little  stream  that 
traversed  a  lower  corner  of  the  Flood  estate. 

"  We  have  forgotten  to  bring  any  bait,"  ob- 
served Minna,  cheerfully,  as  they  stopped  at 
the  spring,  "  but  maybe  a  grasshopper  will  hop 
this  way."  They  sat  down  near  the  margin 
of  the  stream  where  shade  and  thick  bluegrass 
conspired  for  the  safety  of  the  fish.  Minna 
looked  demurely  at  her  cousin  from  under  her 
charming  headdress  which  was  sunbonnet 
enough  to-  protect  her  complexion,  and  lace 
enough  to  refine  utility.  "  Richard,  you  are 
just  dying  to  scribble,  I  know.  Well,  I'll  wan- 
der down  the  branch  —  there  used  to  be  a  hole 
where  the  fish  always  bite;  I'll  leave  you  a  rod. 
I'm  tired  of  this  place,  already.  If  you  catch 


50 

anything,  call,  and  if  I  catch  anything  I'll  call 

—  I'll  stay  within  sound  of  your  voice." 
Richard  watched  the  lithe  figure  as  it  passed 

gracefully  to  the  summit  of  a  ridge  running 
slantwise  from  the  stream.  For  a  few  mo- 
ments it  was  sharply  defined  against  the  lumi- 
nous sky  though  itself  almost  blackened  by 
overhanging  boughs  of  forest  trees.  One  mo- 
ment the  dress,  gracefully  held  back  from  ex- 
quisitely shaped  feet  and  ankles,  was  somber 
of  hue ;  the  next,  as  the  sun  flooded  the  shadow- 
gap,  it  was  vivid  pink  set  in  gold.  Whether 
Minna's  face  was  radiant  in  the  light  or  sof- 
tened in  the  shade,  it  was  the  prettiest  thing  in 
all  that  landscape.  After  it  had  disappeared 

—  for  on  the  farther  side  of  the  ridge,  Minna 
was  safe  from  observation  —  Richard  sat  very 
still,   pencil   in  hand,   looking   at  the  shadow- 
leaves  fluttering  in  the  clear  stream,  listening 
to  the  many  silken  voices  as  tiny  waterfalls 
answered  each  other  from  pebbly  ledges,  and 
thinking  all  the  time  of  her  cousin's  beauty. 
Then  she  tried  to  get  it  into  a  poem  but  it  was 
impossible  to  build  one  large  enough  to  hold 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     51 

anything  so  supreme.  After  many  strivings, 
she  wrote  with  an  impassioned  hand: 

"  Oh,  flowers  of  all  the  world,  and  every  south- 
ern breeze 

And  every  sparkle  of  the  brook,  whispers  of 
all  the  trees — "  • 

She  read  it  over  several  times  with  long  inter- 
vals between  the  readings.  After  the  last  time 
she  took  off  her  spectacles,  and  exclaimed  in 
despair,  "  Words!  That  is  all." 

Hearing  footsteps  in  the  long  grass  she 
turned  swiftly,  at  the  same  time  thrusting  her 
tablet  under  her  skirt  with  the  instinct  of  the 
miser  who  begrudges  a  sight  of  his  gold  to  his 
dearest  friend. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Miss  Warding? " 
asked  Alfred  Montgomery  anxiously,  as  he  hur- 
ried forward.  "  You  are  sitting  in  the  burning 
sun,  and  you  look  so  troubled." 

Richard  started  up  as  if  a  spring  had  been 
touched  to  bring  her  back  to  real  life.  "  I  was 
in  the  shade  when  I  sat  down,  but  that  must 
have  been  a  good  while  ago.  Thought  and 


52          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Time  are  not  very  good  friends,  and  in  writing 
they  often  forget  each  other."  She  looked  at 
him  earnestly,  and  finding  his  face  as  sympa- 
thetic and  respectful  as  usual,  confided,  "  I  was 
trying  to  write  a  poem  to  describe  Cousin 
Minna.  I  thought  of  all  the  beautiful  things 
of  Nature,  but  when  I  read  what  I'd  written, 
there  wasn't  in  it  even  so  much  as  one  of  Cousin 
Minna's  little  fingers." 

"  May  I  read  it?  I'm  very  much  interested 
in  your  subject.  Are  there  just  these  two 
lines?" 

"  There  are  not  many  lines,"  Richard  ad- 
mitted. "  I  tried  to  boil  down  my  thoughts 
and  catch  the  grains  of  sugar.  I  thought  of 
the  gorgeous  flowers  of  California,  and  the 
dainty  blossoms  on  the  mountain-side,  and 
the  early  violets  in  the  woods,  and  the  crocuses 
in  the  snow.  And  then  I  tried  to  bunch  'em, 
and  just  said,  '  Flowers  of  all  the  world.'  I 
pursued  the  same  method  with  '  breeze  '  which 
I  was  presently  to  rhyme  with  '  trees.'  I 
thought  of  all  the  sweet,  soft  summer-breezes 
that  seem  to  lie  on  your  brow  when  the  ther- 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     53 

mometer  is  near  a  hundred,  and  the  horses  can't 
stand  still  because  the  flies  annoy  them  every 
minute.  I  remembered  one  day  when  father 
was  preaching,  so  thin  and  tired  and  weak,  and 
the  church  was  oh,  so  hot  and  close  and  still, 
and  everybody  wished  it  was  over  —  and  all 
of  a  sudden  a  little  breeze  that  smelt  like 
mignonettes  came  right  down  the  aisle  and 
stopped  on  father's  face  and  played  with  his 
gray  hair  and  freshened  his  eyes  and  made  him 
seem  strong  and  young.  I'll  never  forget  that 
breeze.  I  tried  to  put  it  in  this  poem  when  I 
said  *  And  every  southern  breeze.'  But  you 
can  see,  it  isn't  in  the  poem.  It  wouldn't  come 
out  of  my  heart.  If  I  only  knew  how  to  get 
on  paper  what's  in  my  heart  1  " 

"  That  comes  with  long  practice,"  Alfred  an- 
swered, gently. 

"  Yes,  but  won't  one's  heart  be  worn  out  by 
practicing?  " 

There  was  such  an  earnest  fire  in  her  eyes, 
such  a  pathetic  wistfulness  about  her  tremulous 
lips  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  regard 
her  as  a  mere  girl  of  immature  age;  doubtless 


54          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

it  was  because  he  had  always  treated  her  as  a 
woman  that  he  had  gained  her  unreserved  con- 
fidence, for  certainly  she  had  never  discussed 
her  inner  thoughts  thus  simply  with  anybody 
else. 

Not  being  able  to  answer  her  question  be- 
cause it  was  beyond  his  experience,  he  inquired 
for  the  subject  of  her  poem;  at  the  house,  they 
had  told  him  that  Minna  was  fishing.  Alfred 
was  sufficiently  interested  by  Richard's  quaint 
speech  and  her  eloquent  face  to  enjoy  her  so- 
ciety when  there  was  no  hope  of  doing  better. 
Now,  he  entertained  such  a  hope.  He  had  rid- 
den over  from  his  father's  farm  to  visit  Minna 
informally  and,  if  possible,  present  to  her  con- 
sideration the  thought  that  she  might  possibly, 
in  her  spendthrift  goodness,  have  been  bestow- 
ing rather  too  many  favors  upon  Jack  Palmer. 
Alfred  did  not  know  if  he  would  find  courage 
to  act  thus  chivalrously  for  Juanita  Smith's 
sake,  and,  so  far  as  that  was  concerned,  for 
Jack's  sake,  and  Minna's  own  irreproachable 
good  name.  The  difficulty  was  that  Minna 
might  imagine  Alfred  was  speaking  for  his  own 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     55 

sake.  On  learning  that  Minna  and  Richard 
were  fishing  "  down  at  the  branch,"  fortune 
seemed  to  smile.  Indeed,  fortune  had  smiled; 
but  Alfred,  so  far  from  taking  warning,  was 
eager  to  follow  Richard's  direction  and  seek 
Minna  on  the  other  side  of  the  slanting  ridge. 

In  the  meantime,  Minna  had  not  been  sitting 
idly  upon  the  bank  with  a  rod  in  her  hand  and 
her  eyes  on  the  cork;  for  being  made  the  sub- 
ject of  a  poem  is  not  the  same  as  posing  for 
one's  picture.  Secured  by  the  ridge  from  Rich- 
ard's thoughtful  and  adoring  eyes,  and  com- 
forted by  the  conviction  that  Richard  would 
scribble  in  her  own  grassy  spot  till  called  home, 
Minna  was  sensible  of  the  buoyant  joy  of  free- 
dom rather  enhanced  than  otherwise  by  the  sud- 
den appearance  —  on  her  side  of  the  ridge  — 
of  Jack  Palmer. 

Why  he  should  have  come  just  then  and  just 
there,  Minna  could  not  imagine.  It  is  true 
that,  the  night  before,  having  nothing  else  to 
say,  and  not  supposing  he  was  listening,  she 
had  remarked  that  on  the  next  afternoon  she  be- 
lieved she  would  fish,  as  it  seemed  a  pity  to  let 


56          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

the  summer  pass  away  without  one  exploration 
into  the  adventures  of  childhood.  It  was  said 
in  jest,  and  Jack  had  taken  it  in  earnest;  that 
is  what  so  amused  Minna,  now.  He  had  actu- 
ally believed  she  intended  to  fish,  and  to  fish 
at  this  hole  where  he  and  she  had  fished  years 
and  years  before  Juanita  Smith.  Well,  here  he 
was  —  she  must  try  to  make  the  best  of  it.  So 
while  Richard  was  culling  her  flowers  of  mem- 
ory and  distilling  all  the  breezes  of  the  South- 
land into  one  composite  breeze  to  rhyme  with 
her  "  trees,"  Minna  and  Jack  talked  in  low, 
languid  undertones  like  the  muttering  of  far- 
distant  thunder,  occasionally  pierced  by  a  sud- 
den flash  of  laughter. 

Among  other  things  they  talked  of  Richard. 
Jack,  lying  gracefully  at  ease,  cheek  on  palm 
and  elbow  cushioned  on  the  thick  grass  with 
Minna's  sunbonnet  dangling  from  his  disen- 
gaged hand,  looked  up  into  Minna's  face  with 
restful  enjoyment.  Seated  opposite  with  hands 
folded  on  her  lap  and  the  right  foot  extended 
far  enough  beyond  the  left  knee  to  show  that 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     57 

the  stocking  matched  the  dress,  Minna  looked 
at  him  with  the  calmness  that  comes  only  from 
knowing  that  one's  hair,  one's  dress,  one's 
stocking  are  all  they  should  be.  There  was 
no  possibility  of  the  situation  degenerating  into 
mere  midsummer  dullness,  for  there  was  al- 
ways the  farm-house  to  be  watched  —  one's 
father  and  mother  never  understand  when  they 
see  their  little  girl's  bonnet  in  a  young  man's 
hand,  instead  of  on  her  very  pretty  head. 

" —  And  Richard  is  just  on  the  other  side  of 
that  hill,"  Minna  nodded  toward  the  long 
ridge  and  Jack  noted  how  the  sunflecks  danced 
on  the  rhythmic  brown  hair  like  scattering 
gold-dust.  The  great  desire  of  his  heart  at  that 
moment  was  to  tell  her  how  beautiful  he  found 
her,  how  inexpressibly  dear.  Duty  to  his  be- 
trothed steeled  his  heart  and  silenced  his  tongue, 
but  Jack  could  not  steel  his  heart  without  letting 
somebody  know  it.  He  sighed  deeply,  then 
spoke  as  if  casting  his  words  aside  from  his  real 
thought : 

"  I  wonder  if  she'll  stay  there?  " 


58          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Minna  answered,  comfortably. 
"  She's  writing.  She'll  not  move  till  I  call 
her." 

"Writing?     What  for?" 

"  Oh  —  I  don't  know.  She's  going  to  write 
a  book." 

"A  book!"  echoed  Jack,  in  dismay. 
"  Does  she  have  to  do  it?  " 

Minna  laughed.  "  She  thinks  she  does. 
Just  fancy  —  when  I  asked  her  to  come  with 
me,  fishing,  she  said  she  hadn't  time!  " 

Jack  whistled.  "  I  wish  I  could  give  her 
some  of  mine.  I  am  bored  to  death  all  day 
long  except  what  time  I  am  with  — "  He 
grabbed  up  a  handful  of  grass  and  threw  it 
into  Minna's  lap. 

It  seemed  to  her  that  there  was  a  certain 
tension  in  the  atmosphere  —  Jack  looked  in 
earnest  about  something.  She  murmured, 
"  Richard  is  such  a  queer  little  thing!  She  is 
a  darling,  but  so  queer.  She  likes  to  work, 
don't  you  know,  and  we  can't  keep  her  from 
doing  things  about  the  house  —  it's  awfully 
hard  to  keep  enough  servants  —  and  when  she 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     59 

sees  mother  at  last  seated  for  the  morning  — 
it's  awfully  long  before  you  can  get  mother  to 
sit  down,  she  just  loves  to  potter  about  the 
house  —  What  was  I  saying?" 

"  Oh,  Minna,  it  doesn't  matter  what  you  say, 
just  keep  your  voice  moving,  do !  "  Jack 
closed  his  eyes  as  if  to  be  lulled  to  sleep. 

"  You  ridiculous  boy !  You  are  just  like  you 
used  to  be." 

"  I  am,  Minna,  just  like  I  used  to  be  — 
about  everything." 

"  Well,  I  don't  want  to  talk  about  you,  but 
about  Richard.  Then  when  she  can't  find  a 
room  to  straighten,  or  vegetables  to  gather,  or 
berries  to  stem,  she  runs  off  to  the  toolhouse 
and  writes  on  her  book.  I  never  can  get  her 
to  come  into  the  parlor  when  I  have  company 
unless  I  coax  and  coax  till  I  believe  my  hair  is 
getting  gray;  do  you  see  any  gray  hairs?" 

"  I  see  only  the  most  high-class,  up-to-date 
rigging-out  of  what  —  in  its  natural  state  —  is 
surely  the  prettiest — " 

"  And  then,  when  I  do  get  her  into  the  par- 
lor, there  she  sits  as  dumb  as  —  as  anything, 


60          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

and  '  yes,'  and  '  no '  is  all  she  will  say  though 
I  know  she's  just  full  of  thoughts.  Do  you 
know,  it's  the  same  way  when  she  and  I  are 
alone  together!  I  can  no  more  think  of  any- 
thing to  say  to  Richard  than  if  she  was  —  was 
a  —  a  —  oh,  you  know  what  I  mean." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Minna,  don't  try  so  hard,  it's  too 
hot.  Dicky  is  just  a  joke  to  me,  but  you  take 
her  seriously.  Laugh  and  forget  her.  That's 
the  best  way." 

"  You  ought  to  know." 

"  Now,  Minna,  I  never  laughed  about 
you—" 

"Jack,  I  wasn't  thinking  of  myself — how 
could  you  say  that!  " 

"  I  can  say  a  good  deal  worse  than  that." 

"  I  don't  care.  In  a  few  days  I'm  going 
away  where  people  can't  say  *  a  good  deal 
worse '  to  me.  It'll  either  be  Palm  Beach  or 
Wyoming.  I  can't  fish  all  the  time,  especially 
when  my  company  is  too  lazy  to  catch  me  just 
one  tiny  little  grasshopper." 

Jack  sat  up  suddenly.  "  Do  you  mean  that, 
Minna?" 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     61 

She  was  somewhat  startled  by  his  abruptness. 

"  Are  you  really  thinking  of  going  away?  " 

"  I  am  going  away.  I've  done  everything 
else." 

He  rose  and  brushed  the  grass-seeds  from 
his  perfectly-kept  trousers.  In  a  community  of 
hard-working  farmers,  such  trousers  were  by  no 
means  to  be  seen  every  day,  nor  such  an  immac- 
ulate white  shirtwaist  —  a  shirtwaist  of  fairy 
whiteness  intensified  by  a  narrow  blue  tie,  hid- 
ing none  of  its  light  under  the  bushel  of  coat- 
and-vest.  He  reached  down  his  hand  to  help 
her  to  her  feet. 

"  But  it's  so  pleasant  down  here,"  objected 
Minna. 

"  People  don't  sit  on  the  ground  when  they 
say  what  I  want  to  say  to  you,"  replied  Jack, 
authoritatively.  "  Stand  up."  She  let  him 
lift  her  from  the  grass,  but  her  face  had  sud- 
denly grown  troubled  and  the  peach  blossoms 
deepened  in  her  cheeks. 

"  I  want  to  know,  now,"  he  said,  with  some 
severity,  "  if  you  are  really  going  away  from 
Pendleton?" 


62  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Piqued  by  his  masterful  attitude  she  returned 
firmly,  "I  —  really  —  am." 

"  Then  I  want  to  say  that  I  can't  stand  this 
any  longer;  that  it's  impossible  to  keep  this  up, 
and  that  —  and  that  what  you  know  very  well 
is  the  truth,  and  the  only  truth  in  the  world 
for  me  and  —  and  I'm  not  going  to  stand  it!  " 

He  was  so  tremendously  in  earnest,  so  won- 
derfully unlike  the  apathetic  Jack  she  had  so 
long  admired  that  she  found  his  phrases 
touched  by  divine  eloquence.  This  tumultuous 
vitality  was  on  her  account;  by  the  power  of  her 
words,  her  smiles,  her  quick  brown  looks,  her 
pink  dress,  her  pink  slippers  —  how  could  she 
tell  ?  —  the  old  days  were  come  back. 

"  But  you  can't — "  she  stammered,  her  face 
deep-stained  with  crimson.  "  It  —  you  know 
—  it  can't  be  — " 

"  It  can  be.  Minna,  it  is."  'He  came 
quickly  to  her.  "  Minna,  it  is.  And  what's 
more,  you  know  it.  And  you  know  in  your 
heart  that  it  couldn't  ever  be  any  other  way  — 
that  anything  else  is  simply  impossible.  That's 
all.  That  settles  it.  When  I  try  to  think  of 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     63 

anything  else,  I  find  that  anything  else  is  im- 
possible. And  so  there's  no  use  trying  to  play 
hide-and-seek  with  the  truth.  Just  the  instant 
you  said  you  were  going  far  away,  and  I  saw 
you  meant  it,  something  snapped  in  my  heart. 
It  was  the  last  bond,  that's  what  it  was,  the  last 
raveling  of  the  tie  that  ever  chained  me  up  to 
anything  else."  He  put  his  arm  about  her. 

She  did  not  try  to  draw  away,  but  she  began 
to  sob  pathetically. 

'You  love  me,   Minna;  what's  the  use  of 
anything  else." 

"But,  O  Jack  — she!" 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  it  can't  be  helped.  I've 
always  loved  you  and  you  know  it.  When  you 
went  away  I  was  so  lonesome  and  she  —  but 
there's  no  good  talking  about  it.  Don't  cry, 
Minna." 

" —  And  I  know  poor  father  and  mother  will 
think  .  .  ." 

"  Just  rest  your  head  here,  darling,  and  have 
it  out.  I  suppose  nobody  can  be  happy  with- 
out walking  over  a  lot  of  hearts.  But  we've 
got  to  do  our  duty  and  our  duty  is  to  ourselves. 


64          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Your  father  and  mother  have  had  their  life 
and  now  you  must  have  yours." 

"  But  she!  "  sobbed  Minna.  "  Oh,  but  she 
hasn't  had  her  life.  And  if  she  loves  you, 
Jack,  like  —  like  I  think  she  does  — " 

"  No,  no,  no,  no,  Minna,  that  isn't  what  you 
started  to  say." 

"  Well,  then,  like  /  do  .  .  ." 

He  covered  her  face  with  kisses. 

"  We  mustn't  be  too  happy,"  she  whispered. 

He  kissed  her  lips. 

"  It  seems  so  sad,"  she  murmured,  with  closed 
eyes.  Then  she  put  her  arms  about  his  neck 
— "  But,  oh,  Jack,  I  want  you  so  —  ever  since 
I  heard  of  your  engagement  —  and  when  I 
came  home,  the  very  second  I  saw  you  I  knew 
everything  I'd  been  telling  myself  was  no  use 
because  —  I  want  you  so !  " 

A  few  minutes  later  there  came  to  them  a 
far-away  voice  from  beyond  the  ridge  — "  O 
Cousin  Minna  !  O  Cousin  Minna  !  " 

"  It's  Richard !  "  exclaimed  Minna,  breaking 
from  his  embrace.  "  That's  to  signal  if  she 
catches  anything." 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     65 

The  voice  came  again:  "Cousin  Minna! 
Mr.  Montgomery  is  here  !  O  Cousin  Min-NA ! 
Mr.  Montgomery  is  HERE !  " 

"So  that's  what  she's  caught!"  ejaculated 
the  young  man  in  deep  disgust. 

"  What  shall  I  do !  "  Minna  clasped  her 
hands  in  despair  and  raised  her  deeply  flushed 
face  to  her  companion. 

"  If  that  blush  won't  come  off,  Minna,  you 
might  as  well  announce  your  engagement." 

"  But  I  can't  see  him  —  I  can't  see  anybody, 
but  especially  Alfred.  Jack,  he  is  such  a  bore 
—  he  tires  me  to  death  talking  about  Things  — 
What  shall  I  do!" 

"  Come  quick  —  I  want  to  hide  as  much  as 
you  do;  I'm  not  supposed  to  be  on  this  farm 
and  your  father  as  good  as  said,  this  morning, 
that  he  could  live  without  me.  Down  through 
this  grove!"  They  fled  among  the  maple 
trees.  Despite  his  flesh,  he  was  as  active  on 
his  feet  as  his  companion,  but  unfortunately  he 
began  to  laugh. 

"  You  are  taking  me  toward  the  house," 
Minna  panted  reproachfully. 


66          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Never  mind  —  we'll  slip  up  to  the  rear  of 
the  toolhouse  and  in  that  way,  they  can't  see 
us  from  the  house.  Listen  at  that !  " 

It  was  Richard's  voice  — "  O  Minna  !  Mr. 
Montgomery  — " 

Jack  shook  with  suppressed  laughter  and 
dried  his  eyes  with  his  handkerchief.  "  If  she 
don't  stop,  she'll  be  the  death  of  me,"  he 
gasped,  holding  the  handkerchief  over  his 
mouth. 

"  Jack.  How  can  you !  —  there's  nothing 
to  laugh  about.  Alfred  will  stay  two  hours  at 
the  very  least.  I  shall  just  die  if  he  finds  me." 

"  He'll  not  find  you.  We'll  sneak  under  the 
toolhouse  —  I  guess  the  ice  is  still  kept  under 
there,  isn't  it?  And  the  outside-door  will  let 
us  in  right  under  the  floor  of  the  toolhouse. 
My,  how  hot  it  is!  I  can't  think  of  a  nicer 
spot  on  earth  or  under  it,  than  that  icehouse. 
Now,  dodge  behind  this  bush." 

"  But  you'll  get  sawdust  all  over  your  clothes 
—  you'll  be  ruined." 

"  I'll  be  cool,  at  any  rate."  They  had 
reached  the  upper  end  of  the  pasture  and  now 


THE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN     67 

Richard  and  Alfred  could  be  seen,  climbing  the 
ridge.  "  Hold  your  head  lower,  sweetheart, 
just  a  little  farther  and  we'll  be  safe  behind  the 
woodpile.  I  reckon  there  never  was  such  a  test 
of  love  as  I'm  going  to  give  you.  Whoever 
heard  of  a  girl  putting  her  lover  on  ice  to  find 
out  if  his  heart  was  true?  " 

From  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  came  a  thin, 
insistent  call. 

It  was  Richard's  voice  — "  O  Minna  !  Mr. 
Montgomery  is  HERE !  " 

Jack  exploded.  "  O  Lord,  what  shall  I 
do !  "  he  gasped,  in  convulsions.  '  You  go 
ahead  and  open  the  door  —  that  girl  will  be 
the  death  of  me !  " 


CHAPTER  IV 

THIN   ICE 

IT  was  some  time  after  Jack  Palmer  and 
Minna  Flood  sought  refuge  in  the  ice- 
cellar  under  the  toolhouse  floor,  before 
Richard  and  Alfred  opened  the  door  of  the 
girl's  "  study-room."  They  had  searched  the 
premises  for  her  missing  cousin,  and  Mr. 
Flood's  certainty  that  she  had  not  come  to  the 
house  confirmed  their  conclusion  that  she  had 
slipped  away  to  a  neighbor's.  The  nearest 
neighbor  lived  half  a  mile  away,  but  Richard 
did  not  think  half  a  mile  too  far  for  Minna, 
when  Alfred  was  the  only  alternative.  Alfred 
himself  began  to  understand  conditions  better 
than  ever  before;  arid  although  there  were  such 
books  in  the  boxes  facing  the  window  as  at 
other  times  would  have  made  his  eyes  brighten 
either  with  the  smile  of  an  old  acquaintance, 
or  with  the  eagerness  of  one  desiring  an  intro- 
68 


THIN  ICE  69 

duction,  he  now  looked  at  everything  with  im- 
partial indifference. 

"  Miss  Warding,"  he  said  abruptly,  as  he 
perched  upon  one  of  the  boxes,  "  I  am  thor- 
oughly discouraged." 

Richard  seated  herself  at  her  desk,  took  off 
her  spectacles,  and  looked  at  him  with  a  slight 
nod. 

"  As  friend  to  friend,"  he  persisted,  "  don't 
you  believe  that  Minna  ran  off  to  hide  when 
you  called  out  that  I  was  here?  Don't  you  be- 
lieve I  am  the  cause  of  her  being  driven  away 
from  her  own  farm?  And  don't  you  think  that 
as  soon  as  I  am  seen  crossing  the  hill  on  the 
west,  Minna  will  reappear  from  some  secret 
retreat?  I  want  you  to  answer  me  as  friend  to 
friend,  for  I'll  not  deny  that  I  place  great  im- 
portance on  what  you  may  say." 

Richard  answered  with  the  solemnity  of  a 
very  old  and  very  stilted  lady,  as  if  speaking 
out  of  the  pages  of  a  last  century's  romance: 
"  I  cannot  always  speak  freely  as  friend  to 
friend  when  it  is  concerning  one  in  whose  rela- 
tionship I  stand  as  cousin  to  cousin." 


70          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Alfred  looked  at  her  with  parted  lips,  mak- 
ing a  painful  effort  to  concentrate  his  mind 
upon  her  complicated  phrasing.  Then  he  said, 
bitterly,  "  I'm  right  —  she  runs  away  from  me. 
She  always  avoids  me  when  possible.  And  yet, 
I  can't  give  her  up  —  I'm  always  thinking 
maybe  I've  drawn  my  conclusions  too  hastily. 
I  ask  myself,  is  it  possible  that  she  might  care 
for  me,  even  if  she  doesn't  now;  and  then  I 
wonder  if  she  does  care  —  just  a  little,  you 
know  —  and  if  it's  timidity  that  causes  her  to 
avoid  me.  Heaven  knows  there's  no  reason 
why  she  should  care  for  me,  except  the  fact 
that  I've  always  loved  her  —  that  I  adore  her 
—  I  can't  tell  you  how  I  idolize  that  girl  —  but 
I  could  tell  you  a  thousand  times  easier  than  I 
could  tell  her.  Oh,  Richard  —  let  me  call  you 
Richard  —  I  can't  tell  her,  because  she  is  so 
beautiful  and  good  and  ethereal  —  and  I  am  so 
unworthy!  If  I  knew  she  cared  for  me,  it 
would  almost  be  my  duty  to  tell  her  don't  — 
only  I  couldn't  do  that,  for  I'd  be  the  happiest 
man  on  earth  —  O  Richard !  the  man  that 
Minna  loves  —  how  would  he  feel !  " 


THIN  ICE  71 

"Have  you  revealed  your  affection?" 
Richard  inquired. 

"  Revealed  it!  I  couldn't  any  more  conceal 
it  than  I  could  hide  the  rising  sun  by  trying  to 
throw  my  coat  over  it.  It's  revealed,  Richard. 
But  not  in  words.  Minna  has  just  come  home 
from  college  and  all  the  world  is  before  her, 
she  has  beauty  —  oh !  that  melting  charm  of  the 
lips  —  but  I  feel  that  I  shouldn't  speak  of  them 
—  and  she  has  wealth  and  education.  But  // 
Richard,  I'm  nothing.  My  health  has  never 
been  good  —  I  can't  work  on  the  farm  —  never 
could.  All  I'm  fit  for  is  to  go  to  college. 
Last  year  was  my  first  at  Harvard  and  I  hope 
to  rest  enough  this  summer  to  go  back.  I  can't 
do  a  man's  work  —  if  I  could  go  out  and  plow 
under  the  burning  sun  from  morning  till  night, 
and  be  strong  to  get  up  the  next  morning  to 
go  at  it  again,  I'd  feel  independent.  I  don't 
mean  to  complain,  but  you  see  I  can't  offer 
what  little  there  is  of  me  to  a  girl  like  Minna. 
If  my  father  were  wealthy  it  would  be  differ- 
ent, but  he  is  barely  able  to  keep  me  at  col- 
lege. There  will  be  three  more  years  before 


72  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

I  can  practice  —  I'm  to  go  into  a  cousin's  law- 
office  when  I've  graduated.  But  will  Minna 
stay  single  all  that  time?  " 

"  No,"  said  Richard,  "  I  do  not  think  it." 

"She  won't!"  Alfred  groaned.  "I  won- 
der why  it  is  that  what  we  want  most  is  in  our 
reach  only  while  our  hands  are  tied  behind  our 
backs?" 

"  I  don't  understand  it,  either,"  said  Rich- 
ard. 

"  Sometimes  I  am  tortured  by  this :  I've  ex- 
plained why  I  can't  tell  Minna  of  my  love;  but 
suppose,  after  all  that  she  does  care  for  me  — 
I  mean  just  a  little  —  is  it  fair  to  her  for  me 
to  keep  silent?  " 

"  I  wouldn't  be  tortured  over  that,"  Richard 
counseled  him.  "  I  would  go  on  and  get  my 
education  and  begin  practicing  my  law,  and 
then,  if  Minna  has  married  somebody  else  — " 

"Don't  finish;  I  can't  think  about  that. 
You  see,  my  love  for  Minna  is  my  life  —  it's 
simply  my  life.  It's  been,  ever  since  I  can  re- 
member. Jack  Palmer  and  I  used  to  fight 
about  her  when  we  were  in  the  infant  class. 


THIN  ICE  73 

If  she  marries  somebody  else  I'll  —  I'll  just 
stop;  you  see,  there'd  be  no  place  left  to  reach; 
there  wouldn't  be  any  direction." 

"  Love  is  an  awful  responsibility,"  Richard 
commented.  "  I  think  it  far  better  to  make 
up  your  mind  while  young  never  to  marry.  I 
shall  not  be  in  love.  I  will  have  my  life- 
work."  She  picked  up  some  loose  sheets  from 
the  desk.  "  Here  is  what  I  say  about  it;  shall 
I  read  you  the  program  of  my  lifework?  It 
is  a  long  prologue."  Suddenly  she  gave  a 
start.  "Did  you  hear  that  —  listen!  It 
sounded  like  a  muffled  groan." 

"  I  thought  I  heard  a  groan  —  it  was  the 
wind,  of  course.  Richard,  forgive  me,  but  I 
can't  fasten  my  mind  upon  any  reading.  I'm 
going  to  tell  you  why  I  came  over  this  after- 
noon. Then  I  want  your  advice.  It  may 
sound  worse  than  it  is  but  —  Richard,  do  you 
think  Minna  has  any  faults?  " 

"  As  cousin  to  cousin  — " 

"  You  needn't  answer.  But  there  is  some 
talk  —  faint  whispers  —  that  —  that  Minna 
and  Jack  .  .  .  you  see,  he  is  engaged,  and  it's 


74  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

not  fair  to  Juanita  Smith  .  .  .  but  they  say 
Minna  and  Jack  — "  He  broke  off  in  perplex- 
ity. 

"  They  have  always  been  friends,"  Richard 
explained.  "  When  I  visited  here,  three  years 
ago,  they  were  chums." 

"  But  .  .  .  Richard,  would  you  be  willing  to 
hint  to  Minna  that  she  and  Jack  ...  I  think 
she'd  take  it  better  from  you  than  from  me." 

"  He  calls  me  '  Dick ' !  "  exclaimed  Richard, 
severely.  "  He  is  so  familiar !  " 

"  He  could  never  have  been  worthy  of 
Minna,"  cried  Alfred,  "  Juanita  Smith,  or  no 
Juanita  Smith.  The  idea  of  his  setting  his  eyes 
on  that  dainty,  spiritual,  sensitive,  illumi- 
nated — " 

"  He  is  fat,"  Richard  added,  "  positively  fat. 
And  so  lazy  that  it  nearly  kills  him  to  open  the 
gate." 

"  I  admit,"  pursued  Alfred,  "  that  he  is 
handsome  in  his  way.  I  believe  anybody  see- 
ing him  for  the  first  time  would  call  him  re- 
markably handsome.  And  he's  good-natured, 
and  all  that.  But!  Why,  you  see,  it's  ridic- 


THIN  ICE  75 

ulous  for  a  fellow  like  that  —  he  never  would 
stay  at  school,  he  doesn't  know  anything,  and 
the  worst  is,  he  doesn't  know  that  he  doesn't 
know  anything  —  worth  while.  He  doesn't 
know  what  is  worth  while.  How  could  he  en- 
noble Minna's  life  when  he  has  no  ambition?  " 

"  But  he  is  already  engaged,  Mr.  Montgom- 
ery." 

"  I  know  he  is  already  engaged,  but!  And 
don't  you  think  you  could  give  her  a  nice,  quiet, 
friendly  little  hint?  Just  as  cousin  to  cousin!  " 

"He  is  so  physical!"  exclaimed  Richard. 
"  He  weighs  nearly  two  hundred.  And  he  calls 
me  '  Dick.'  I  have  rebuked  him  for  it  al- 
though I  was  afraid  of  hurting  his  feelings.  I 
needn't  have  been  afraid  of  that.  He 
laughed." 

" — Just  a  gentle,  cautious  little  hint,  Rich- 
ard, don't  you  think  you  might?  " 

"  I  can't  think  it  necessary.  I  don't  believe 
Cousin  Minna  could  possibly  admire  as  fat  a 
man  as  that.  He  is  too  fat.  They  have  hap- 
pened to  get  together  at  parties  because  both 
know  the  same  old  songs  while  Miss  Juanita 


76  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

can't  sing.  Nor  I ;  but  I  write.  Miss  Juanita 
does  nothing.  No,  Mr.  Montgomery,  Cousin 
Minna  would  have  a  right  to  feel  hurt  if  she 
thought  I  imagined  that  she  could  admire  a 
man  so  —  so  big  and  —  and  —  and  different 
from  our  kind  of  people.  You  asked  me  if 
Cousin  Minna  has  any  faults.  She  may  have, 
but  I  don't  know  what  they  are  —  she  is  per- 
fectly splendid.  You  have  spoken  of  her  in 
high  terms,  but  they  are  not  too  high."  Rich- 
ard exclaimed  with  restrained  passion  while  her 
face  glowed,  "  She  is  just  the  sweetest  thing 
in  all  the  wide  world." 

Alfred  could  have  embraced  her,  but  for  the 
awe  inspired  by  her  spectacles.  He  felt 
ashamed  of  his  vague  suspicions  regarding 
Jack,  but  when  he  left  the  toolhouse  his  heart 
was  lighter  than  it  had  been  for  weeks. 

Richard,  left  alone,  sat  for  some  time  mo- 
tionless, her  hands  clasped  upon  the  desk, 
thinking  about  Alfred.  When  footsteps 
roused  her,  she  reached  for  the  pen  to  resume 
work  upon  her  book;  but  she  was  destined  to 
another  interruption  —  Zack  Flood  and  his 


THIN  ICE  77 

wife  came  in,  talking  briskly  and  looking  about 
them  at  each  step,  for  Minna  was  still  missing. 

Of  course  they  paid  no  attention  to  such 
child's  play  as  Richard's  scribbling.  Mrs. 
Flood  perched  upon  the  box  of  books  recently 
vacated  by  Alfred,  and  the  farmer  leaned 
against  the  open  door,  while  they  continued 
their  conversation  as  if  it  didn't  matter  whether 
Richard  listened  or  not.  In  fact,  Mrs.  Flood 
had  found  a  few  moments  of  leisure,  and  fan- 
cying that  her  niece  must  be  lonesome  if  alone, 
had  brought  her  husband  thither  meaning  to 
cheer  up  Richard  by  their  mere  presence. 

Richard,  finding  her  pen  useless,  laid  it  down 
mournfully  and  smiled  at  her  aunt  and  uncle 
with  deceitful  cheerfulness.  Mrs.  Flood 
looked  strangely  girlish  as  she  swung  her  foot 
to  and  fro,  her  face  lighted  up  in  great  ani- 
mation, her  eyes  eloquent.  For  the  moment, 
care  and  labor  cast  its  net  of  tiny  lines  off  her 
countenance  and  her  forty-eight  years  seemed 
cut  in  two.  Zack  Flood  was  not  a  man  to  melt 
back  to  boyhood  in  the  heat  of  enthusiasm. 
He  was  forty-nine,  and  forty-nine  is  what  he 


78 

looked;  not  a  gloomy,  complaining,  sport-spoil- 
ing forty-nine,  but  for  all  that,  a  fifty-less-one 
that  realizes  there  is  to  be  no  more  foolishness 
in  dealing  with  Father  Time. 

" —  And  Minna  says,"  continued  Mrs. 
Flood,  "  that  our  telephone  simply  drives  her 
wild.  It's  always  ringing,  though  I  hadn't  no- 
ticed it  till  she  came  home.  She  counts  every 
time  whether  it's  for  us  or  not.  We  must  get 
off  the  party-line." 

"  Then  I'll  have  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a 
whole  half-mile's  connection." 

"  Yes,  it's  bothersome  and  expensive,  but 
Minna's  nerves  are  in  a  frightful  state;  I'm 
glad  her  schooling  is  ended,  for  she  has  worn 
herself  out  with  her  studies.  And  Minna  says, 
if  we  just  had  electric  lights!  Dear,  don't  you 
think  we  could  — " 

"What!     Three  miles  from  Pendleton — " 

"  But  Minna  says  she  knows  girls  at  college 
whose  fathers  have  ranches  and  they  put  in 
their  own  plant.  And  if  you  had  an  artesian 
well  and  a  windmill  we  could  have  our  own 
waterworks,  too.  You  can't  imagine  how  sen- 


THIN  ICE  79 

sitive  Minna  is  to  the  smell  of  coal  oil.  Every 
year  she  has  spent  nine  months  where  there  are 
electric  lights  and  bathrooms  —  and  then  to 
come  home  and  find  no  bath  and  only  coal  oil 
—  it's  enough  to  make  her  dissatisfied  —  al- 
though nobody  is  more  contented  or  loves  her 
home  more  than  Minna." 

"  I  reckon,"  remarked  Zack,  "  that  she's  out, 
now,  hiding  from  the  coal  oil  smell."  He 
spoke  with  tolerant  amusement,  but  any  amuse- 
ment at  the  expense  of  their  daughter  was  heresy 
in  Mrs.  Flood's  eyes. 

"  Sometimes,  Zack,  you  speak  as  if  you  don't 
care  for  higher  things  (Minna  has  noticed  it, 
too),  but  I'm  sure  you  do." 

"  The  trouble  is,  Minnie,  that  higher  things 
all  come  at  higher  prices.  You  know  I  didn't 
make  a  cent  out  of  my  cattle  last  year,  and 
from  the  way  this  season  has  set  in,  there'll  not 
be  a  half  crop  of  corn.  Minna's  boarding- 
school  made  a  big  hole  in  our  reserves — " 

"  I  certainly  do  hope,  Zack,  that  you  don't 
regret  the  education  we  have  given  our  daugh- 
ter! " 


8o  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Of  course  not.  But  now  that  we've  fin- 
ished her  at  school,  I  don't  want  her  to  finish 
us  at  home." 

"  I  can't  imagine  what  you  mean.  Minna 
says  — " 

"  I  mean  that  a  private  electric-plant  and  a 
private  waterworks-system  would  seriously 
handicap  me,  honey." 

"  But  Minna  says  that  we  have  too  large  a 
farm,  anyway.  It's  too  big  for  you  to  get  the 
best  results;  if  you  sold  North  Acres  you  could 
concentrate  better  on  the  five  hundred  acres 
that  would  be  left;  and  for  what  North  Acres 
brought,  you  could  get  rid  of  this  coal  oil.  No- 
body  has  coal  oil  in  their  houses,  nowadays; 
and  whenever  Minna  gives  a  house-party,  I 
know  she's  ashamed  of  the  lamps.  We've 
spared  no  expense  in  ornamental  shades,  but 
there  is  the  coal  oil  smell." 

"  Possibly,  honey,  next  year  — " 

"  But  we  are  living  in  this  year,  Zack,  this 
is  the  time  of  Minna's  youth.  She'll  never 
have  her  youth  again.  Even  if  you're  unwill- 
ing to  sell  North  Acres,  Minna  says  all  the 


THIN  ICE  8 1 

girls'  fathers  carry  mortgages  on  their  ranches, 
they  do  it  on  purpose,  so  they  will  have  capital 
to  invest  in  their  business;  it  pays  'em  to  be  in 
debt,  and  if  they  were  out  of  it,  they'd  get  in 
directly  for  their  own  interests." 

"  I  don't  see  how  an  electric-and-waterworks 
investment  would  pay  me,  honey." 

"  Wouldn't  it  pay  you  to  see  your  daughter 
happy?  Is  everything  to  be  measured  in  dol- 
lars and  cents?  People  don't  do  everything 
because  there's  money  in  it!  " 

"Well  — I'll  think  it  over.  Richard,  I 
want  to  ask  you  a  question :  have  you  seen  Jack 
Palmer,  to-day?  " 

Startled  at  being  thus  abruptly  included  in 
the  conversation,  Richard  looked  at  him, 
slightly  pale,  wondering  if  he  had  in  any  man- 
ner been  advised  of  the  silly  rumors  then  cur- 
rent. "  No,  sir  —  I  haven't  seen  anyone  to- 
day except  Mr.  Montgomery." 

Zack  Flood's  face  brightened.  "  There's  a 
fine  young  fellow,"  he  declared.  "  Pity  he 
isn't  stronger  —  nobody  will  ever  know  what  a 
giant  will  he  has.  Any  other  man  in  his  place 


82          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

would  have  given  up  long  ago.  He  started  out 
with  his  own  mother's  weaknesses  and  he  took 
all  his  step-mother's  diseases  as  fast  as  they 
'developed.  Every  time  he  gets  up  he's  down 
with  the  typhoid  fever  or  the  diphtheria." 

"Zack!  I'm  ashamed  of  you  —  I  like  Al- 
fred Montgomery  real  well,  and  if  he's  dull, 
as  Minna  says,  can  he  help  that?  'r 

"  And  /  like  him,"  the  farmer  declared,  with 
unmistakable  heartiness.  "  A  fellow  can  be 
hounded  by  ill-luck  till  it's  actually  funny  to 
others;  but  it's  no  joke  to  Alfred.  How  he  has 
the  grit  to  go  ahead  with  his  education  is  a 
mystery.  It's  like  making  himself  smart  and 
fit  for  his  winding-sheet.  I  never  hear  of  him 
being  up  and  about  but  I  look  for  him  to  be 
down." 

Richard  opened  her  eyes  very  wide.  "  I 
have  talked  to  Mr.  Montgomery  a  good  deal," 
she  said,  "  and  he  never  once  told  he  had  been 
sick." 

"  He  gets  enough  out  of  it  without  talking," 
Zack  explained.  Then  he  added,  gravely 
enough,  "  I  doubt  if  he'll  live  to  graduate. 


THIN  ICE  83 

He's  got  nothing  but  his  will  to  keep  him  afloat, 
and  if  it  springs  a  leak,  he'll  go  under." 

"  O  Uncle  Zack!  "  cried  Richard,  in  distress. 
"But  what's  the  matter?" 

"  Richard,  did  he  ever  tell  you  how  he  saved 
Minna's  life?" 

"No,  never.  Oh,  did  he,  though?  And 
not  one  word  did  he  breathe  of  itl  " 

"  That's  because  he's  Alfred  Montgomery. 
And  did  Minna  tell  you  about  it,  and  how  he 
lost  what  health  he  had  because  of  his  exposure 
during  a  long  ride  in  dripping  clothes  and  then 
—  pneumonia?  " 

"  No-o-o." 

"  That's  Minna,"  remarked  Zack,  good-hu- 
moredly. 

"  Now,  Zack,"  cried  his  wife,  flushing, 
"  Minna  has  been  home  only  a  few  weeks  and 
couldn't  possibly  have  time  to  think  of  every- 
thing to  tell  Richard.  Why,  I  haven't  told 
her,  myself;  and  you  haven't." 

"  I  must  go  back  to  those  carpenters,"  de- 
clared Zack,  inclining  his  ear.  "  Not  a  ham- 
mer astir!  Well,  Richard,  I'll  say  this  while 


84          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

we're  on  the  subject  —  that  if  you  ever  need 
to  trust  mortal  man  with  a  secret,  no  matter 
how  sacred,  just  you  go  to  Alfred  Montgom- 
ery; and  if  he's  still  alive  you'll  find  a  man  to 
depend  on !  So  long !  " 

"  Wait,  I'm  coming,"  cried  Mrs.  Flood,  still 
looking  as  fresh  as  a  girl,  but  climbing  down 
from  the  box  with  the  caution  of  maturity.  "  I 
want  to  show  you  just  where  the  wires  could 
go  into  the  house  without  touching  a  single  tree. 
Richard,  hadn't  you  better  come  to  the  house? 
—  we  hate  to  leave  you  all  alone  where  you 
can't  even  hear  our  voices." 

But  Richard  was  content  to  remain.  She 
was  thinking,  thinking,  thinking  —  and  every 
one  of  her  thoughts  were  connected  with  Alfred 
Montgomery.  She  had  been  left  alone  a  long 
time,  trying  to  imagine  how  Alfred  had  rescued 
Minna  to  the  loss  of  his  health,  when  she  was 
startled  in  a  manner  to  cause  her  heart  to  stop 
beating.  Immediately  under  the  floor,  as  it 
seemed  under  her  very  feet,  a  hoarse,  deep- 
mouthed  voice  reverberated: 

"  Speaking  of  Miss  Richard  Warding  — " 


THIN  ICE  85 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  terrified. 

The  fearful  voice  continued;  its  words  were 
those  of  human  speech,  but  its  tones  were  those 
of  a  wild  lion:  "Did  you  ever  notice  how 
thin  and  scrawny  she  is?  She  is  thin;  too  thin. 
She  is  lean  —  she  is  too  lean  for  '  our  kind  of 
people.' ' 

Then  came  a  smothered  giggle. 

"  She  is  not  physical,"  resumed  the  deep 
voice.  "  She  weighs  fifty-seven  and  a  few 
ounces.  Do  not  call  her  Dick,  lest  you  be  re- 
buked!" 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  PROMISE 

WHEN  Minna  opened  the  toolhouse 
door   and   went   in,   Jack   Palmer 
had   made    good  his    escape.     At 
first   she   thought   the   room    deserted,    but   a 
closer  inspection  revealed  a  little  huddled  figure 
at  the  window,  face  buried  in  arms,  body  quiv- 
ering with  sobs.     Minna  had  opened  the  door 
with  the  look  of  one  deeply  offended,  and  her 
expression  was  unaltered  at  what  she  consid- 
ered a  manifestation  of  futile  anger. 

"  It's  no  more  than  you  deserve,"  she  said, 
coldly.  "  He  had  to  hear  your  opinion  of  him, 
which  unfortunately  is  not  flattering,  and  now 
you  know  what  he  thinks  of  you"  She  stood 
with  her  hand  on  the  closed  door;  it  was  evi- 
dent that  she  had  come  for  a  brief  word,  and 
as  soon  as  she  could  master  her  indignation  she 
would  speak  and  go.  Minna  felt  grievously 

86 


THE  PROMISE  87 

wronged.  Had  Richard  and  Alfred  trapped 
her  in  the  cellar,  forcing  her  to  hear  their  con- 
demnation of  Jack,  her  sense  of  injury  would 
have  been  no  greater.  It  seemed  to  her  that 
this  little  girl,  always  so  silent,  so  meek,  so 
wrapped  up  in  literary  ambitions,  had  proved 
herself  a  spy. 

Richard  said  nothing  —  only  wept. 

Minna  looked  at  her,  unsympathetically. 
What  right  had  a  girl  who  had  been  given  this 
home  because  she  had  no  other,  a  girl  received 
as  much  on  the  ground  of  charity  as  on  that 
of  family-duty,  a  girl  with  no  prospects  but 
such  as  she  might  expect  as  a  favor  from  her 
uncle  —  what  right  had  this  Richard  Warding 
to  any  opinion  except  such  as  might  be  permit- 
ted by  the  family?  It  was  preposterous  that 
she  should  think  about  Jack  at  all,  and  that  she 
should  think  ill,  was  the  height  of  ingratitude. 
And  what  a  wretched  temper  she  must  have,  to 
be  enraged  by  Jack's  ironic  utterances ! 

At  last  Minna  said,  "  I  am  in  a  hurry,  Rich- 
ard; can  you  give  me  your  attention  a  moment? 
I  am  sorry  you  are  so  angry." 


88          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Richard  raised  her  disheveled  head.  "  Yes, 
I'm  listening,"  she  said,  in  a  muffled  voice. 

"  It's  important  for  you  to  understand,"  re- 
marked Minna,  critically  examining  her,  "  and 
I'm  afraid  you're  too  angry  to  pay  atten- 
tion." 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Minna !  "  cried  Richard,  some- 
what wildly,  "  angry?  I?  No!" 

"  Then  what  are  you  crying  about?  Are 
you  hurt?  " 

"  Yes,  oh,  I  am  hurt  here  — "  Richard 
struck  at  her  heart. 

"  After  all,  Richard,  he  said  nothing  except 
that  you're  thin." 

"  It's  you,  Minna  —  it's  you!  And  it  makes 
me  feel  so  queer,  as  if  everything  was  slipping 
away.  ...  I  don't  know  what's  left  —  I  don't 
know  what's  left — "  Down  went  the  flushed 
face  in  the  quivering  arms,  leaving  Minna  to 
stare  in  blank  amazement. 

"  I  can't  imagine  what  you  mean  — " 

"  When  I  lost  father,  the  world  seemed 
empty  —  and  then  I  found  you."  Richard  ex- 
tended her  arms  before  her.  "  But  it  is  like 


THE  PROMISE  89 

this  —  emptiness !  "  She  dropped  her  arms. 
"  I  guess  you  haven't  known  how  I've  wor- 
shiped the  very  ground  under  your  feet.  I 
didn't  want  to  trouble  you  with  it,  just  kept  it 
in  my  heart,  and  loved  it  —  my  feeling.  It 
was  company  for  me.  That's  why  I  can't  help 
crying,  but  it's  like  when  father  died,  I'd  like 
to  be  all  alone  —  not  to  bother  others.  Won't 
you  please  let  it  be  that  way,  Cousin  Minna? 
And  when  you  see  me  again,  I'll  be  all  right." 

"  If  you  mean  that  you  want  me  to  go,  you'll 
be  satisfied.  Yes,  I'll  leave  you  alone  as  much 
as  you  please.  I  just  wanted  to  caution  you  to 
say  nothing  about  Jack's  having  been  on  the 
farm,  because  father  and  mother  wouldn't  un- 
derstand and  —  and  it's  much  better  for  all 
concerned." 

"  I'll  not  breathe  one  word  unless  they  ask 
me." 

"  Well,  if  they  do  ask,  you  needn't  tell. 
And  you  mustn't!  " 

"  I  won't  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  People  can  always  help  it  if  they  want  to. 
I'm  not  asking  you  to  tell  a  story,  that  wouldn't 


90          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

be  right.  But  you  can  make  them  think  in  the 
negative  without  saying  4  no.' ' 

"  If  they  ask  me  if  he  was  here,  I'll  have  to 
say  *  yes.' ' 

"  Richard,  I  don't  believe  you  would  do  that 
—  after  all  the  kindness  I  have  shown  you  I  " 

"  But  I  would  have  to  say  *  yes.' ' 

"  Because  Jack  made  fun  of  you,  that's  the 
reason!  Because  you  want  your  revenge  by 
getting  us  into  trouble."  The  tears  came  to 
Minna's  eyes;  she  felt  that  she  had  never  been 
so  cruelly  used  in  all  her  life  —  and  by  this 
interloper !  "  Richard,  if  you  tell  on  us,  we'll 
never  forgive  you.  How  could  you  stay  in  our 
house  knowing  that  you  had  made  us  dislike 
you?  I  don't  believe  it's  in  your  heart  to  be 
so  cruel." 

"  Cousin  Minna,  Uncle  Zack  has  already 
asked  me,  so  it's  not  likely  he'll  ask  again." 

"  But  if  he  does  — " 

"  I'll  have  to  tell  him.  But  it  would  be 
strange  if  he  asked  me  instead  of  you." 

Minna  went  out,  slamming  the  door  sharply. 
Her  little  face  was  hard  and  set  as  she  sought 


THE  PROMISE  91 

her  room  upstairs,  and  though,  the  hammering 
was  enough  to  distract  anybody,  she  told  herself 
she  didn't  care  because  all  the  world  had  gone 
wrong,  anyway.  It  was  here  Zack  Flood  came 
to  seek  her;  and  the  first  covert  glance  at  his 
face  gave  warning  that  the  serious  hour  of  her 
life  had  come. 

She  had  never  seen  that  look  on  his  face,  and 
it  made  her  forget  everything  else  in  a  sense  of 
fear, —  fear  of  this  bronzed  farmer  who  had 
never  waited  to  meet  her  wishes  half-way,  but 
had  run  to  greet  them  at  the  first  opening  of 
the  door  of  her  fancy.  It  made  her  feel  mis- 
erably strange  and  small,  that  look  of  stern 
authority,  as  if  there  were  physical  danger  to 
be  apprehended.  Her  lips  could  not  utter  a 
word ;  her  eyes  sought  in  vain  to  leave  the  floor. 

He  shut  the  door,  crossed  to  the  open  win- 
dow and  seated  himself  upon  the  sill.  A  sugar- 
maple  which  almost  touched  the  house,  flecked 
his  shirt  with  overlapping  shadows,  occasionally 
revealing  between  fringed  edges  a  sudden  dart- 
ing sunbeam  like  a  tongue  of  flame.  When  he 
spoke,  the  absence  of  dreaded  harshness  made 


92 

her  shiver  with  relief.  Although  he  had  never 
shown  harshness,  her  expectation  of  it  now 
seemed  so  simple,  so  inevitable,  that  she  had 
already  hardened  herself  to  the  attitude  of  one 
suffering  unmerited  reproach. 

"  Honey,"  his  voice  was  grave,  considerate, 
"  why  did  you  hide  from  Alf  Montgomery?  " 

Minna  raised  her  head,  courageous  from  the 
belief  that  Richard  had  not  "told."  "It 
wasn't  the  right  time  of  day  for  a  young  man 
to  come  visiting." 

"  From  what  I  have  just  heard  — "  Minna 
had  never  thought  of  her  father  as  dignified, 
but  his  face  now  wore  a  look  of  dignity  — 
"  Jack  must  have  felt  differently." 

Minna  flushed.     "  Who  told  you  that?  " 

"  Nobody,  until  I  forced  an  answer." 

"  It  was  Richard,  of  course.  I  think  you 
might  have  asked  me." 

He  gave  her  a  long  look.  "  Jack  knows  I 
don't  want  him  to  come  here  so  often.  I  made 
that  plain  enough  to  him  this  very  morning.'"' 

"Father!" 

"  And,  Daughter,  you  know  it,  too." 


THE  PROMISE  93 

He  had  scolded  her  at  last,  and  at  the  ex- 
pected injury,  she  burst  into  sudden  weeping. 
"  I  don't  know  what  you  have  against  Jack," 
sobbing,  "  I  know  he  thinks  a  great  deal  of 
you." 

"  If  there  were  nothing  else,  the  fact  that 
he's  engaged  to  Juanita  Smith  .  .  ." 

She  buried  her  face  in  her  handkerchief. 
"  But  you  don't  understand!  " 

"  I  dare  say  Juanita  doesn't,  either;  nor  the 
neighbors;  nor  your  mother  either.  He  must 
be  the  smartest  fellow  in  the  county  not  to  leave 
a  few  clews  around  to  his  mystery." 

Minna  looked  up  with  a  flash.  "  I  believe 
you  hate  him!  " 

"  Who,  Jack?  I  couldn't.  He's  too  no-ac- 
count. There's  nothing  in  him  to  hate." 

Minna  raised  her  head  higher.  "  He  is  my 
friend,  Father.  And  as  far  as  that  is  con- 
cerned, he's  more  —  he's  brighter  and  more  in- 
teresting and  —  and  everything  than  any  other 
young  man  I  know  of  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try." 

"  Well,  I'll  admit  there's  a  pretty  poor  crop. 


94          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

But  he's  no-account.  Nobody  ever  had  a  finer 
start;  but  before  his  mother  died,  he'd  mort- 
gaged that  big  farm  his  father  left  him  for 
every  dollar  it  would  carry.  He  hasn't  a  thing 
on  earth  yet  dresses  as  if  he  owned  it  all.  He's 
too  lazy  to  earn  a  penny  and  too  extravagant 
to  save  one.  I  like  Jack,  and  if  it  wasn't  too 
much  trouble,  I  believe  he'd  do  me  a  good  turn; 
but  he's  no-account  —  Minna,  he  is  wo-account" 

Minna's  face  had  grown  cold,  her  voice 
formal.  "  You  don't  understand,"  she  com- 
mented, hardly  above  a  whisper. 

"The  point  is  simply  this,  Daughter:  Jack 
must  stop  coming  to  my  place,  and  if  you  meet 
him  elsewhere,  you  are  to  have  as  little  to  do 
with  him  as  possible." 

The  tears  came  into  her  eyes.  "  Father,  I 
never  thought  you  could  be  cruel  to  me !  " 

"  I  know  this  is  for  your  good,"  he  rose 
from  the  window-ledge  as  if  to  leave  the  room, 
then  turned  to  her  suddenly.  "  You  have  hurt 
me,  Minna." 

Instantly  Minna's  kind  heart  was  touched. 
She  ran  into  his  arms,  and  sobbed  upon  his  neck. 


THE  PROMISE  95 

"  I  know  you  think  it  for  my  good  ...  I 
know  you  have  always  been  the  best  father  in 
the  world  ...  I  know  you  love  me  as  deeply 
as  I  love  you.  .  .  .  You  have  done  everything 
on  earth  for  me  —  given  me  whatever  you  im- 
agined I'd  like  to  have  —  and  —  but  —  but 
now  this  is  more  than  everything  else  in  my  life. 
.  .  .  O  Father,  what  shall  I  do !  " 

He  stood  very  still  while  she  clung  to  him, 
saying  at  last,  "  Can  it  be?  .  .  ." 

"  Oh,  it  is;  it's  the  greatest  truth  in  my  life; 
it's  for  always,  Father,  now  you  know  how  big 
a  thing  it  is,  because  it's  for  always !  I'm  glad 
for  you  to  know,  after  all.  We  thought  we 
wouldn't  tell  for  awhile  because  we  knew  you'd 
be  bewildered.  .  .  .  But  you'd  have  to  have 
known,  at  last,  wouldn't  you,  Father?  It's  our 
destiny,  it  couldn't  have  been  helped,  it  had  to 
be.  And,  oh,  it  has  made  me  happier  than  I 
dreamed  happiness  could  be,  and  —  and  I  am 
so  miserable !  " 

He  placed  her  in  her  chair,  and  drew  away, 
sorrowful  but  not  unkind.  "  What  has  to  be, 
Minna?" 


96          THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  He  loves  me  and  I  —  and  I  ...  but  I 
couldn't  be  happy  without  him.  You  are  my 
father  and  you  could  make  him  go  away  from 
me,  but  it  would  break  my  heart.  And  his 
heart  would  be  broken,  too,  because  we  have 
always  loved  each  other  since  we  can  first  re- 
member, that's  why  it  has  to  be.  Neither  of 
us  has  ever  really  cared  for  anybody  else." 

"  Juanita  Smith  — " 

Minna  interposed  impatiently.  "  O  Juanita 
Smith !  "  It  seemed  to  her  that  somebody  was 
always  referring  to  that  tiresome  Juanita 
Smith.  "  She  was  never  anything  to  him. 
Not  really,  you  understand." 

"  Does  she  know  that?  " 

"  He  will  tell  her,  of  course,  he  will  have 
to  tell  her,  now,  but  he  hasn't  told  her  yet, 
because  our  engagement  was  —  was  so  sudden. 
—  Father,  he  has  been  fighting  against  me  ever 
since  I  came  back  from  college,  all  this  time, 
three  weeks  and  a  half  —  his  sense  of  honor 
wouldn't  let  him  give  her  up  without  a  terrible 
struggle.  He  wanted  to  be  true  to  her  because 
he'd  given  his  word,  but  it  wasn't  any  use  be- 


THE  PROMISE  97 

cause,  oh,  we  —  why,  Father,  we  were  made 
for  each  other,  nothing  else  could  be  possible. 
Of  course  he  will  explain  it  all  to  Juanita  — 
he  will  break  that  off  honorably  and — " 

"  There's  no  need  for  him  to  tell  Juanita  a 
word  about  you,  Minna,  since  this  is  going  no 
farther.  You'll  not  see  him  any  more  unless 
by  the  barest  chance." 

"  But  I  can't  live  — " 

"  It's  just  because  I  want  you  to  live,  and 
live  happily — " 

"  But  I  couldn't  be  happy  without  Jack." 

"  Maybe  so;  but  you  can  be  happier  without 
him  than  with  him.  I  have  never  been  firm 
with  you,  dear,  because  you've  been  the  darling 
of  our  lives,  and  all  we  ask  for  is  to  see  you 
happy  — " 

She  started  from  her  chair  and  held  out  her 
arms.  "  I  know  you've  been  the  sweetest,  the 
dearest  father — " 

But  before  she  could  embrace  him,  he  took 
her  hands  in  his,  and  looking  steadily  in  her 
eyes  — "  Minna,  I  must  be  firm  now  because  I 
know  Jack  couldn't  make  a  good  husband;  he's 


98  THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

never  made  anything  of  himself,  and  good  hus- 
bands are  a  thousand  times  harder  to  make 
than  good  farmers.  No  —  don't  begin  to  cry 
—  don't  pull  away,  for  you  must  hear  me :  I 
simply  do  not  propose  to  see  all  the  years  your 
mother  and  I  have  devoted  to  you,  going  to 
waste.  You  can  never  marry  Jack  Palmer  with 
our  consent;  if  you  marry  without  it,  I  can't 
speak  for  your  mother,  but  I  tell  you  now,  I 
shall  never  be  reconciled.  I  don't  mean  to  be 
unkind  —  good  Lord!  isn't  my  life  wrapped  up 
in  your  welfare?  —  I'd  say  all  this  on  my  knees, 
if  that  would  make  it  any  different."  He  re- 
leased her  hands  and  returned  to  his  seat  in  the 
window. 

"  Father,"  said  the  other  impetuously,  com- 
ing to  his  side,  "  it's  only  because  you  and 
mother  don't  understand.  Won't  you  try  to 
understand  that  I  know  what  is  best  for  my 
own  welfare?  I  belong  to  the  new  age  —  we 
young  people  look  at  everything  differently; 
you  are  back  there  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago. 
Young  people  can't  let  their  future  be  spoiled 
because  old  people  think  they  should  act  thus 


THE  PROMISE  99 

and  thus.  I  know  what  is  good  for  me  and  I 
know  that  while  you  mean  the  best  in  the  world, 
you  are  in  another  age,  you  have  different 
standards.  I  am  not  nearly  twenty  years  old 
—  you  are  nearly  fifty.  It's  impossible  for 
you  and  mother  to  —  to  understand.  It's  a 
matter  of  age  —  there's  a  chasm  between  us. 
And  I  know  that  Jack  and  I  must  have  each 
other,  or  our  hearts  will  be  broken." 

Zack  Flood  pondered  for  some  time,  while 
Minna  remained  leaning  upon  the  back  of  her 
chair,  expecting  him  to  relent.  At  last  he  rose 
and  walked  heavily  to  the  door.  There  he 
paused.  "  Minna,  you  must  admit  that  in  re- 
turn for  what  we  have  tried  to  do  for  you,  you 
are  under  a  certain  obligation." 

Minna's  face  quivered.  "  I  never  dreamed 
you  could  be  cruel  to  your  little  girl.  I  owe 
you  everything.  I'd  do  anything  on  earth  to 
show  my  gratitude  except  give  up  my  only 
chance  of  happiness." 

"  You  are  eighteen,"  he  continued,  as  if  she 
had  not  spoken.  "  And  we  have  tried  to  make 
them  eighteen  happy  years." 


ioo        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  You  have,  Father.  No  girl  was  ever  hap- 
pier than  I  have  been." 

"  Now  I  am  going  to  ask  the  next  six  months 
of  your  life  —  just  six  months,  Minna.  You 
say  I  have  given  you  eighteen  happy  years; 
you  say  you'd  like  to  show  your  gratitude. 
Then  promise  me  the  next  six  months." 

"  How?     Why,  Father,  my  life  is  yours." 

"  Promise  that  during  the  next  six  months 
you  will  be  as  a  perfect  stranger  to  Jack  Palmer 
except  when  circumstances  compel  you  to  act  as 
a  casual  acquaintance.  At  the  end  of  six 
months  during  which  there  is  to  be  no  shadow 
of  romantic  nonsense,  if  you  and  he  are  still 
determined  to  marry,  I  shall  not  consent;  but 
I'll  offer  no  opposition." 

Minna  sat  down,  looking  miserable.  The 
whole  summer  would  be  spoiled,  the  autumn 
would  prove  a  perfect  blank.  "  I  must  prom- 
ise, Father,  if  you  really  insist.  But — " 

"  I  insist." 

"  But  Juanita  Smith!  "  cried  Minna,  herself 
introducing  the  tiresome  name. 

"  She  is  not  our  affair.     Jack  Palmer  will 


THE  PROMISE  101 

tell  her  or  not  as  he  thinks  best.  Give  me 
your  word,  daughter,  your  word  of  honor,  your 
most  sacred  honor.  Come!  It  isn't  a  great 
deal  to  promise.  Just  six  months." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Minna,  faintly.     "  Very 
well,  then.     I  promise." 


i 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  PROPOSAL 

Annual  Pendleton  Picnic  took 
place  in  early  September  —  more 
than  two  months  since  Minna's 
promise  to  her  father.  During  the  summer 
holiday,  Alfred  Montgomery  recovered  some 
of  the  strength  spent  in  hard  study  at  the  uni- 
versity; but  so  far  from  mental  relaxation,  his 
mind  worked  as  hard  with  thoughts  of  Minna, 
as  if  it  had  been  trying  to  take  a  degree  in 
love.  He  had  seen  her  as  often  as  he  dared, 
and,  since  the  disappearance  of  Jack,  that  had 
been  nearly  every  day.  Sometimes  it  was  a 
mere  glimpse  of  her  as  he  drove  past  Zack 
Flood's  farm  —  the  road  past  Zack's  farm  was 
the  most  attractive  in  the  county  —  sometimes 
they  met  at  gatherings  of  the  young  set  of  Pen- 
dleton, that  curiously  amalgamated  "  set " 
which  comprised  the  very  few  sons  and  daugh- 


THE  PROPOSAL  103 

ters  of  the  "  best  people  "  and  enough  of  the 
others  —  who  never  quite  understood  how  they 
"  got  in  " —  to  make  up  the  club  dances.  And 
then,  there  were  the  evenings  when  he  called, 
sitting  with  Minna  in  the  front  room,  with  a 
view  of  the  living-room  where  Richard  was  al- 
ways reading  or  writing  at  a  desk,  Mrs.  Flood 
sewing,  and  Zack,  in  a  blue  shirt  and  yellow 
suspenders,  the  cuspidor  at  his  feet  and  the 
newspaper  in  his  hand,  flavoring  his  politics 
with  a  favorite  twist. 

But  although  he  saw  Minna  so  often,  she 
was  as  tantalizing  a  mystery  as  ever.  In  some 
vague  way,  he  found  her  changed,  but  though 
this  change  was  favorable  in  that  it  encouraged 
his  attentions,  it  was  disconcerting  because 
nothing  seemed  to  come  of  it.  Every  time  they 
were  thrown  together,  it  had  to  be  begun  all 
over  and  it  was  just  as  hard  to  work  up  to  a 
point  in  September  as  it  had  been  in  June. 
Oh,  that  inscrutable  Minna !  He  could  not  im- 
agine what  was  in  her  mind,  and  though  he 
often  consulted  Richard,  nothing  was  gained  but 
the  comfort  of  telling  somebody  how  much  he 


io4        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

loved  the  purest,  noblest,  most  modest  and  re- 
fined of  earthly  creatures. 

"  I'm  going  to  tell  her,  the  day  of  the  pic- 
nic," Alfred  confided  to  Richard  as  he  took  her 
for  a  drive  through  country  lanes.  "  It'll  be 
my  best  chance  and  my  last,  for  I'll  soon  be 
hurrying  back  to  Harvard  for  another  year's 
grind.  I  mustn't  ask  you  if  you  think  there's 
any  show  for  me  —  if  she's  confided  in  you,  I 
mean,  because  in  that  case  I  shouldn't  have 
your  own  thought  — " 

"  Cousin  Minna  never  confides  in  me,"  re- 
sponded Richard,  quietly. 

"  She's  a  perfect  reservoir  of  crystal 
sweetness !  "  he  exclaimed,  enthusiastically. 
"  There's  no  outlet.  Any  other  girl  would 
have  told  you  long  ago  just  what  she  thought 
of  me  —  loving  you  as  Minna  does.  But  it's 
because  she  doesn't  reveal  her  heart  that  I  can 
ask  your  opinion.  When  I  asked  her  company 
to  the  Annual  Picnic,  she  consented  instantly. 
There  wasn't  the  slightest  hesitation.  That 
must  have  meant  that  she  was  willing  to  go 
with  me." 


THE  PROPOSAL  105 

"  It  seemed  propitious,"  was  the  grave  re- 
sponse. 

"  She  didn't  have  to  consent,"  Alfred  argued. 
"  There  are  plenty  of  other  fellows  who'd  give 
the  world  to  take  her.  Besides,  she  had  in- 
tended to  go  in  the  carriage  with  you  and  her 
parents.  But  just  as  soon  as  I  said  it  Would 
be  our  last  drive,  and  would  she  go  with  me, 
she  consented.  What  would  you  call  that? 
She  must  like  me,  in  a  way  —  in  some  way. 
Besides  there  was  a  distinct  color  in  her  cheeks. 
Before  I  mentioned  driving  her  to  the  grounds, 
there  was  no  color  —  she  was  even  paler  than 
usual,  and  I  have  thought,  lately,  that  she  is 
losing  that  delicate  glow  —  so  beautiful,  like  a 
visible  warmth.  Then  when  I  said  it  would 
be  our  last  drive,  she  blushed.  It  must  have 
been  a  blush,  because  she  was  pale  and  then 
she  was  rosy  —  she  was  more  than  that,  she 
was  red,  she  was  crimson.  Could  she  have  been 
blushing  at  me?" 

Richard  looked  straight  ahead  and  answered, 
sedately,  "  I  do  not  know  why  Cousin  Minna 
blushes." 


io6        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Of  course  she  knows  I  love  her.  And 
when  I  said  it  would  be  our  last  drive,  she  must 
have  read  in  my  face  that  I  meant  to  speak  out. 
She  must  have  blushed  on  that  account.  And 
yet  she  might  have  done  that  without  wanting 
me  to  speak  out  —  mightn't  she  ?  It  could 
have  been  mere  surprise,  couldn't  it,  or  just 
the  thought  of  the  —  of  the  deed  and  not  of 
the  —  performer?  Look  here,  Richard,  you 
blush  sometimes,  you  know.  I've  seen  you 
do  it." 

She  turned  quickly  to  look  at  him  with 
startled  eyes  and  parted  lips. 

"  You're  doing  it  now  —  and  upon  my  word, 
Richard,  you  look  quite  charming.  It's  because 
I  surprised  you  by  speaking  of  it;  you  were 
startled,  you  looked  at  me  —  now  you're  blush- 
ing. It  must  have  been  that  way  with  Minna." 
As  Richard  seemed  unduly  embarrassed,  he 
went  on  talking  in  a  matter-of-fact  voice.  "  Of 
course  there's  nothing  in  me  to  win  a  girl  like 
your  cousin,  or  any  other  girl.  The  only  hope 
I  have  is  based  on  the  curious  fact  that  some- 
times people  fall  in  love  with  the  most  unlikely 


THE  PROPOSAL  107 

characters  —  with  ugly,  stupid  folk  —  Beauty 
and  the  Beast.  Minna  might  take  a  fancy  to 
me  just  because  I'm  not  worthy  of  it.  She 
might  be  blind.  The  rule  with  women  is  to  ad- 
mire only  strong  men,  men  who  can  lift  weights 
and  strike  down  powerful  foes.  I  believe  if  I 
were  real  strong,  if  I  could  just  go  out  and  lift 
gates  on  my  shoulder  —  or  if  I  could  plow  all 
day  long  without  a  thought  of  the  shade  over 
in  the  fence-corner  —  But  I  have  to  be  always 
guarding  myself  —  I  can't  sit  in  draughts  and 
a  fellow  of  my  age  oughtn't  to  know  when  he  is 
in  a  draught.  .  .  .  It's  not  that  I  complain  for 
myself,  but  how  can  Minna  admire  one  who 
couldn't  stand  up  in  a  good  stiff  fight?  She 
must  feel  that  I  couldn't  properly  take  care  of 
her  —  and  yet,  just  because  that's  the  rule 
with  women,  Minna  may  be  the  exception,  be- 
cause she  isn't  like  any  other  girl  in  the 
world." 

Her  manner  was  so  severe  that  he  fancied 

her   displeased   about   being    forced   to   blush. 

'  This  isn't  the  first  time  you  have  talked  about 

wanting  to  plow.     And  now  you  want  to  fight! 


io8         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

And  lift  gates !  And  sit  in  draughts !  I 
thought  you  had  a  higher  aim." 

"  The  highest  aim  I  have  is  to  win  Minna's 
love;  beside  that,  all  my  other  ambitions  pale 
like  little  stars  near  a  full  moon.  I'm  not  in- 
terested in  anything  but  Minna.  Women  like 
men  who  can  endure  hardships,  get  drenched 
by  rains  and  not  have  to  take  to  their  beds  — 
spend  days  under  the  harvest-sun  without  get- 
ting faint.  Minna  is  so  dainty  and  fairy-like, 
she  needs  a  muscular  husband  to  protect  her. 
But  at  the  same  time,  her  very  delicacy  may 
lead  her  to  prefer  a  man  that's  not  particularly 
full-blooded.  You  see  it  may  be  either  way  — 
you  can't  apply  logic  to  Minna.  When  a 
girl's  in  one  of  the  premises,  there  isn't  any 
logical  conclusion." 

"  There's  a  logical  conclusion  to  me." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Brains  are  more  important  in  men,  and 
muscle  in  horses.  Therefore  — " 

"  Yes,  but  would  Minna  think  so?  " 

"  She  ought  to  think  everything  of  you  — 
Uncle  Zack  says  you  saved  her  life." 


THE  PROPOSAL  109 

"  I  can't  understand,"  cried  Alfred,  with  dis- 
pleasure, "  why  Mr.  Flood  is  always  talking 
about  that!" 

"  He  has  only  mentioned  it  once  in  my  hear- 
ing." 

"  That  was  once  too  often.  There  is  noth- 
ing in  it,  nothing." 

"But  didn't  you?" 

"  Anything  can  happen  to  affect  anything  else. 
There's  nothing  in  all  this  talk  of  saving  life. 
My  life  may  be  saved  this  minute  because  you 
are  in  the  buggy  with  me  —  it  may  be  your 
weight  that  keeps  the  horse  from  running  away. 
If  I  hadn't  kept  Minna  from  drowning  others 
would,  if  they'd  been  there." 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  way  for  you  to  feel.  But 
Cousin  Minna  ought  to  feel  the  other  way." 

"  I  hope  she  doesn't.  I  don't  want  any  fa- 
vors because  of  an  accident.  I  want  her  to 
weigh  me  as  I  am,  recognize  the  fact  that  I'm 
weakly,  nothing  but  a  student,  that  I  couldn't 
fight,  couldn't  plow — " 

"  Mr.  Montgomery,"  she  exclaimed,  sharply, 
"  I  wish  you  would  turn  about.  This  drive  is 


no        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

protracted."  Alfred  obeyed  mechanically, 
plunged  so  deeply  in  blue  thoughts  that  her 
manner  was  unobserved.  Suddenly  Richard 
exclaimed,  her  face  quite  red,  "  Nor  do  I  want 
to  be  driving  with  a  man  who  wants  to  cut  him- 
self by  any  woman's  pattern !  " 

He  looked  at  her  in  surprise  as  if  just  real- 
izing her  presence,  then  smiled.  "  Well,  Rich- 
ard, I'd  give  the  world  to  be  everything  your 
Cousin  Minna  would  like  for  me  to  be." 

Richard  was  strangely  angry.  "  Why  don't 
you  get  your  stage-directions  from  her,  and 
learn  your  part?  " 

He  was  perplexed.  "  Wasn't  it  your  boast 
that  you  are  logical?  Stage-directions  couldn't 
give  me  a  man's  strength  and  endurance.  Are 
you  displeased  with  me,  Richard?  " 

"  That  doesn't  matter,  if  you  please  Cousin 
Minna!" 

"  My  dear  friend,  you  don't  understand. 
At  sixteen,  one  hasn't  entered  the  real  world. 
Whenever  you  fall  in  love  you'll  discover  that 
all  the  feelings  you  ever  had  were  like  shadows 
scattered  before  the  sun.  You  must  know  how 


THE  PROPOSAL  in 

dearly  I  esteem  you,  for  to  nobody  else  do  I 
confide  these  sacred  secrets.  But  friendship 
isn't  any  more  like  love,  than  courage  or  hon- 
esty. There  isn't  anything  like  love.  You  can 
compare  the  sun  to  the  moon,  but  there's  no 
comparison  for  love.  It's  just  one  —  like  God. 
I  can't  describe  it  except  to  say  that  it  means 
with  all  the  strength  of  your  soul  to  want  to 
please  somebody  —  I  mean,  Minna.  If  she 
could  find  this  a  happier  world  because  I  am  in 
it  with  her  —  I  wouldn't  ask  for  fame  or  wealth 
or  health  or  friends;  just  her  adorable  self 
would  fill  the  outlines  of  my  dearest  dreams." 
Not  another  word  did  Richard  speak  during 
the  drive  —  perhaps  she  could  not.  Her  face 
was  still  dully  red  when  Alfred  drew  up  at  her 
uncle's  gate.  He  looked  hopefully  about  for  a 
glimpse  of  Minna,  feeling  no  resentment  for 
Richard's  ill-humor  though  he  had  hardly  re- 
covered from  surprise  at  its  manifestation. 
Perhaps  it  had  sprung  from  a  young  girl's  im- 
pulse to  monopolize  her  only  friend  —  and, 
after  all,  it  was  of  little  moment.  What  mat- 
tered just  then,  was  a  lovely  face  at  the  window 


ii2        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

where  the  sugar-maple  nodded.  Either  the 
face  smiled  sweetly,  or  the  sunlight  among  the 
branches  played  him  a  trick  —  he  was  thrilled 
with  happiness  on  the  barest  benefit  of  the 
doubt.  In  the  meantime,  Richard,  unobserved, 
had  hurried  to  the  toolhouse,  and  now  with  face 
buried  among  the  sheets  of  paper  that  described 
her  latest  heroine's  tears,  she  shed  her  own. 

If  the  glimpse  of  Minna's  face  at  a  distant 
window  brought  joy,  why  was  not  Alfred  in 
ecstasy  when  that  face  was  almost  touching  his 
shoulder,  on  the  morning  of  the  drive  to  the 
Annual  Pendleton  Picnic?  That  was  another 
mystery  about  Minna  that  the  young  man  had 
not  solved:  Happiness  did  not  increase  as  dis- 
tance lessened.  Being  so  close  to  him,  he  could 
hardly  see  her  at  all  —  that  immense-brimmed 
hat  hid  not  only  the  little  head  but  most  of  the 
body  from  an  eye  of  Alfred's  height;  and  being 
so  close  to  him,  he  must  talk.  What  about? 
Ah,  that  is  what  Alfred  should  like  to  have 
known.  It  was  the  cool  of  the  morning,  the 
clear  sky  promised  no  rain  at  the  picnic,  there 
would  be  a  great  crowd,  the  scent  of  September 


THE  PROPOSAL  113 

fields  reminded  one  of  schooldays  —  all  this 
had  been  diligently  discussed.  What  next? 

He  remembered  how  Richard  had  looked,  as, 
waiting  for  Zack  Flood  to  hitch  up  the  carriage 
that  was  to  take  her  with  her  uncle  and  aunt, 
she  had  gazed  solemnly  after  her  lovely  cousin. 
"  Isn't  Richard  quaint!  "  he  exclaimed,  with  a 
sudden  affectionate  smile. 

"  Very  quaint,"  was  the  dry  response.  No, 
Minna  did  not  want  to  talk  about  Richard. 
After  all,  there  was  but  one  subject  needful  of 
elucidation.  The  shadows  were  still  sweet  in 
the  lanes  and  the  sunlight  was  mellowed  in  a 
glowing  haze  that  softened  all  the  sharp  edges 
of  the  world.  Two  miles  would  bring  them 
to  the  small  town  of  Pendleton;  his  story  of 
love  must  not  be  more  than  two  miles  long. 
He  tried  to  approach  it  lightly,  feeling  that 
Minna  must  not  be  frightened  by  the  holding 
forth  of  commonplace  marriage-bonds. 

"  Minna,  this  is  our  last  ride,  you  know  .  .  . 
and  I  would  like  to  drag  in  a  subject  that's  all- 
important  to  me,  before  I  go  back  East.  It's 
a  subject,  a  subject  that  I  must  drag  in  by  — 


II4        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

drag  in  by  my  hook  —  a  la  Captain  Cuttle,  you 
understand  .  .  ."  Alfred  could  not  dance  on 
eggs. 

"  Oh,  yes,  Captain  Cuttle,"  said  Minna  in 
an  interested  tone.  "  He  was  the  man  in  that 
horrid  trig,  example,  that  made  us  find  the  leg 
of  the  triangle,  wasn't  he?  Some  of  the  girls 
sat  up  all  night  to  figure  it  out  to  the  tenth  deci- 
mal place,  but  I  had  such  an  awful  headache 
that  night  I  was  excused.  Yes,  I'll  never  for- 
get the  leg  of  that  triangle." 

He  would  gladly  have  let  it  go  at  that,  had 
she  not  shown  such  an  antipathy  for  her  mathe- 
matical Cuttle  that  he  feared  she  might  asso- 
ciate his  legs  in  the  same  low  standing.  "  I  re- 
ferred to  '  Dombey  and  Son.'  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  cried  the  other  with  such  anima- 
tion that  she  tilted  her  hat-brim  high  enough  for 
him  to  see  her  smiling  lips  and  one  eye. 
;<  Wasn't  that  the  longest  novel  you  ever  read  in 
all  your  life!  They  made  us  take  it  as  supple- 
mentary reading  and  honestly  I  just  thought  I 
wouldn't  last  through  it.  Everybody  died  at  the 
beginning  of  it,  and  got  divorced  at  the  end,  but 


THE  PROPOSAL  115 

they  were  so  long  about  it.  I'll  never  forget 
that  novel  to  my  dying  day;  we  girls  had  a  big 
supper  one  night  up  in  my  room,  and  Jenny 
Black  overturned  the  lamp ;  it  was  perfectly  ter- 
rible, and  all  the  girls  sitting  on  the  floor  mak- 
ing Welsh  rarebit  and  getting  in  each  other's 
way  and  just  dying  with  chilled  laughter  — 
that's  the  kind  the  matron  mustn't  hear.  I 
grabbed  up  '  Dombey  and  Son  '  to  try  to  work 
off  a  chapter  before  the  midnight  luncheon  was 
ready  so  I'd  have  that  much  out  of  the  way, 
when  Jenny  Black  — -  she  was  working  away  at 
that  horrid  example  about  the  other  leg  of  the 
triangle  —  yes,  I  got  Captain  Cuttle  out  of  my 
book  into  hers,  didn't  I?  It  was  Cauvenant's 
example,  or  Chauvenant's,  or  somebody  begin- 
ning with  C.  Jenny  got  so  mad  because  she 
couldn't  get  the  answer  (we'd  chipped  in  to 
buy  a  '  key')  that  she  said,  of  a  sudden  —  but 
it  doesn't  matter  what  she  said,  it  was  just  about 
the  triangle's  leg,  and  with  that  she  stuck  out 
her  own  —  she  moved  her  foot  real  quick,  and 
it  sent  that  lamp  rolling.  We  were  almost 
bursting  to  keep  from  laughing  at  what  she  said 


n6        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

—  it  wasn't  anything  —  and  perfectly  wild 
with  terror  for  fear  we'd  be  burned  alive.  Oh, 
those  days  at  school,  weren't  they  too  lovely  to 
last!" 

Alfred  had  never  found  her  so  bewitching. 
Such  nai'vety,  freshness,  innocence,  confidence! 
And  how  joyous  she  was !  Evidently  she  was 
glad  to  be  with  him.  His  heart  beat  rapidly, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  restrain  the  admiration 
inspired  by  her  adorable  personality.  "  Oh, 
Minna  —  I  love  you  I  "  His  emotion  was  so 
profound,  so  irrepressible,  he  felt  he  could  go 
on  pouring  forth  words  to  the  end  of  time, 
words  painting  her  charms  and  depicting  his 
devotion.  But  he  couldn't.  All  had  been 
said.  He  sought  desperately  for  any  adequate 
addition  —  everything  was  a  blank  but  the  one 
truth.  He  uttered  it  again  in  a  thrilling  voice 
— "I  few  you!" 

"  You  mustn't."  All  the  ripple  had  van- 
ished from  her  voice. 

"I  —  I  can't  help  it.  I  love  you.  Minna, 
listen :  I  love  you !  " 

"  But  you  mustn't!  "     Her  tone  was  faint. 


THE  PROPOSAL  117 

He  hoped  her  opposition  was  no  stronger 
than  her  voice.  Again  he  sought  desperately 
for  words.  In  talking  to  Richard  about  Minna, 
there  had  been  more  than  enough.  He  remem- 
bered vaguely  that  he  had  said  something  to 
Richard  which,  after  pronouncement,  had 
struck  him  as  pretty  good.  It  was  about  wealth 
and  health  and  fame  and  about  the  outlines  of 
all  his  dreams.  He  couldn't  remember  enough 
of  it  to  use.  "  Minna  —  but  I  can't  help  itl 
Dear  Minna  —  if  there  were  any  prospect  — 
any  prospect  in  the  world  that  some  day  —  I 
don't  care  how  far  off  —  some  day  you  might 
be  my  wife  .  .  ." 

"  There'll  never  be  the  prospect,"  she  said, 
still  faint  and  trembling. 

"  But  you  are  quite  sure?" 

**  I  know  it.     Yes,  I  am  sure." 

"You  couldn't  possibly  love  me?  I  don't 
mean  to  annoy  you  with  it,  Minna,  but  I've 
loved  you  so  long  that  I  can't  give  it  up  till 
you've  made  it  clear  that  it  will  never  be  any 
use.  I'd  wait  for  you  —  forever." 

"  It  couldn't  ever  possibly  be.     You  know 


we've  always  been  friends,  Alfred.  I  hope 
we'll  always  be  good  friends." 

"  But  you  don't  like  me  enough  to  feel  that 
you  could  ever  like  me  better?  " 

"  No.     I  never  could." 

"  I'm  not  surprised,  dear,  the  wonder  would 
be  if  you  could  care  for  me.  But  when  we're 
in  love,  we  expect  wonders,  and  I've  almost  ex- 
pected—  you!  But  I'll  not  distress  you  with 
letting  you  see  how  much  I  care.  I'm  nat- 
urally a  serious  sort  of  chap  —  a  stick;  but  I'll 
be  as  gay  at  the  picnic  as  I  ever  am  anywhere. 
So  you  mustn't  think  your  day  is  to  be  spoilt. 
Minna,  this  is  a  sort  of  good-by  —  not  that  I'll 
ever  cease  to  love  you,  for  I  couldn't  possibly 
love  another  —  the  feeling  has  grown  up 
within  me  from  early  boyhood.  I've  never  had 

• 

any  dream  of  happiness  except  the  one  with 
your  name  —  dear  name !  —  Minna!  I  al- 
ways knew  I  wasn't  worthy  of  the  dream  —  but 
it  came  anyway,  came  with  the  air  I  breathed. 
I  suppose  many  a  king's  dream  has  slipped 
through  a  peasant's  window.  Minna,  I'll  say 


THE  PROPOSAL  119 

good-by  to  all  that  and  —  and  —  will  you  let 
me  kiss  you  good-by?  " 

\ 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  leave  me,  Al- 
fred." 

"  I  know;  but  it's  good-by  all  the  same." 

"  I  can't  let  you  do  —  that." 

"  Not  as  a  comrade  bidding  adieu  to  a 
wounded  soldier?  " 

"  But  I  can't  let  you  do  —  that.  No,  I  can't 
let  you !  " 

"  You  think  even  so  little  of  me?  " 

She  did  not  answer.  But  her  hat  continued 
in  the  negative,  and  he  said  no  more. 


CHAPTER  VII 

RICHARD'S  KISS 

Annual  Pendleton  Picnic  was 
held  in  Gridge's  pasture,  whose  ten 
acres  of  deep  ravines  and  steep 
ridges  lay  just  beyond  the  southern  limit  of  the 
straggling  town.  B.  M.  Gridge  was  one  of 
the  most  interesting  men  in  the  community,  not 
by  virtue  of  anything  he  ever  did,  said,  or 
thought,  but  because  he  owned  and  conducted 
the  largest  drygoods  store  in  Pendleton,  and 
because  he  had  never  been  married. 

"  He's  a  mighty  fine  fellow,"  declared 
Zack  Flood  earnestly,  in  answer  to  Juanita 
Smith's  slighting  remark.  Her  ridicule  de- 
served serious  rebuke,  but  Zack  was  so  glad  to 
meet  her  in  the  noisy  crowd,  that  he  could  not 
help  smiling.  Juanita  was  running  away  from 
B.  M.  Gridge  at  that  moment. 

"  Help !  help !  "  she  panted.     "  I  have  to  go 


RICHARD'S  KISS  121 

to  the  city  with  him  on  the  four  o'clock  train  — 
aunt  will  chaperone  us  —  there's  a  great  ac- 
tress at  the  Western  Opera  House,  first  of  the 
season,  and  I  have  to  go.  You  know  how  per- 
severing he  is.  He  never  lets  up  and  at  last 
aunt  said  I  must,  isn't  it  awful!  But  I  won't 
spend  the  day  with  him,  the  night's  enough." 
Zack  listened  with  his  slow,  amused  smile. 
He  was  always  glad  to  meet  Juanita  because  she 
always  treated  him  as  if  he  were  young.  And 
she  was  so  little  —  surely  the  smallest  creature, 
in  the  world  who  ever  had  a  lover  as  big  as 
Jack  Palmer  —  it  was  impossible  for  the 
farmer  to  take  her  quite  seriously.  He 
couldn't  help  liking  the  girl  who  talked  to  him 
at  greater  length  and  with  more  freedom  than 
his  own  daughter,  and  who  was  so  quick,  so 
animated,  so  bright- faced;  and  whose  diminu- 
tive stature  made  her  harshest  word  seem 
amusing.  Moreover,  if  there  was  in  the 
world  a  bigger  bore  than  any  other  in  Zack's 
world,  it  was  this  Annual  Pendleton  Picnic. 
To  walk  from  one  hollow  to  another,  drink  at 
the  lemonade-stand,  eat  at  the  peanut-wagon, 


122         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

listen  to  the  public  speakers  who  could  not  be 
condensed  as  if  they  were  newspapers  —  what 
was  this  to  the  farmer?  It  was  worse  after 
dinner  because  you  always  ate  too  much  and 
there  was  that  to  consider.  But  Minna  liked 
it,  the  noises  and  flashing  colors  of  several 
thousand  people  completely  absorbed  her  — 
there  was  not  left  to  view  so  much  as  a  bit  of 
her  hat  brim.  She  was  everywhere,  mingling 
in  the  gay  laughter  —  then  presto !  she  was 
nowhere. 

In  the  meantime  here  was  Juanita,  hurrying 
Zack  from  one  crowd  to  another  in  mad  flight 
from  B.  M.  Gridge.  "  He  looks  like  a  dry- 
goods  man,"  said  Juanita,  "  and  like  nothing 
else.  You  can't  be  near  him  without  feeling 
like  walking  up  to  his  counter.  He  lets  this 
pretty  place  all  go  to  waste  while  he  steeps  his 
soul  in  thread  and  pins." 

"  He'd  like  to  steep  his  soul  in  you,"  re- 
marked the  other,  knowing  how  hopelessly  his 
old  friend  was  infatuated  in  the  tiny  morsel 
clinging  to  his  arm. 

She  gave  her  head  a  sharp  toss  that  made 


RICHARD'S  KISS  123 

him  laugh.  "  I  never  held  his  age  against 
him,"  she  declared,  "  but  he's  not  satisfied  with 
it,  himself.  If  I  was  a  hundred,  I'd  be  a  cen- 
tury. But  Mr.  Gridge  is  all  the  time  trying  to 
get  back  his  youth.  They  say  that  he  stands 
on  his  hands  every  morning  before  breakfast 
—  that's  for  suppleness.  And  I  know  myself 
that  when  he  comes  to  see  me,  he  spends  half 
the  time  trying  to  balance  himself  on  one  chair- 
leg,  thinking  I'm  not  noticing  what  he's  do- 
ing—  that's  for  control  of  his  muscles.  I 
wish  he'd  fall  over,  and  maybe  some  evening  he 
will!  He  doesn't  care  for  anything  but  physi- 
cal exercises  and  his  store.  I  thought  when  my 
engagement  was  publicly  announced  that  I  could 
do  something,  but  no !  You  see,  aunt  is 
blinded,  she  thinks  he's  everything,  and  he 
pretends  to  come  to  see  us  both;  and  it's  aunt 
that  he  declares  must  see  that  great  actress. 
I'll  just  be  tagging  along.  But  /  under- 
stand 'em.  They  can't  fool  me  I  I  know 
aunt  wouldn't  marry  him  if  he  owned  half 
a  dozen  stores.  All  right  —  neither  would  I !  " 
she  added  defiantly.  Then  she  laughed  rue- 


i24        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

fully.  "  But  did  you  ever  know  anything  like 
it  —  to  be  engaged  to  one  man,  and  have  your 
own  family  encouraging  another  one  in  his  at- 
tentions !  " 

"  Perhaps  your  aunt  thinks  .  .   ." 

"  I  suppose  she  does.  But  what  of  it? 
Everything's  fixed.  Who's  going  to  change  be- 
cause of  what  she  thinks?  Let  her  have  your 
B.  M.  Gridge!" 

Zack  Flood  turned  abruptly  to  the  thought 
uppermost  in  his  mind.  "  Juanita,  Richard 
told  me  a  while  ago  —  But  do  you  know  where 
Jack  Palmer  is,  to-day?  " 

She  smiled  with  a  pretty  blush  of  happy 
proprietorship.  "  He's  in  the  city,  hard  at 
work,  as  he's  been  for  two  months.  He'll 
show  you  worldly-wise  farmers  that  he  can 
make  a  living  as  well  as  lose  a  farm.  When 
Jack  had  to  go  to  work  because  nothing  was 
left,  he  just  went  to  work.  Poor  fellow,  it's 
awfully  hot  for  him  over  there,  and  every  day 
just  the  same  —  but  he'll  come  out  at  the  top ! 
You'll  see,  Mr.  Zachariah  Flood !  I  want  you 
and  your  old  school-chum,  B.  M.  Gridge,  to  be 


RICHARD'S  KISS  125 

in  the  front  row  at  the  church  when  the  pews 
are  ribboned  off." 

"  Poor  B.  M.  I  "  murmured  Zack.  "  There 
never  was  a  kinder  or  more  reliable  man.  He 
deserves  a  better  fate  than  your  front  bench. 
The  reason  I  asked  about  Jack  —  Richard  told 
me,  not  long  ago,  that  she  saw  him  in  a  buggy." 

"When?"  ' 

"  About  two  o'clock." 

"  To-day?  Oh,  that  was  somebody  else.  It 
must  have  been  somebody  else  because  Jack  is 
hard  at  work.  He  asked  for  a  holiday  to  come 
to  the  picnic,  and  those  horrid  bears  that  think 
they  own  him  body  and  soul,  wouldn't  let  him 
off.  I  had  a  note  from  him  last  night  telling 
me  not  to  expect  him." 

"  Then  of  course  it  was  somebody  else. 
And  Richard  is  near-sighted,  anyway.  But 
Jack  is  pretty  easy  to  distinguish  in  a  crowd." 

"  It  was  somebody  else,"  remarked  Juanita, 
indifferently.  "  Richard  is  such  an  odd  little 
hermit  —  I  don't  think  she  knows  how  anybody 
looks,  for  she  always  has  her  eyes  in  a  mag- 
azine." 


126        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Just  then  a  bevy  of  some  twenty  girls  all  of 
about  the  same  age,  and  all  in  white  dresses 
and  white  slippers  and  stockings  came  surging 
upon  them,  and  Juanita  was  borne  away,  the 
smallest  by  far  of  the  crowd,  and  the  merriest. 
Thus  rudely  snatched  back  from  his  dip  into 
the  far-away  years,  Zack  Flood,  with  a  smile 
that  showed  the  youth-light  still  lingered,  went 
in  search  of  his  wife. 

He  found  her  on  a  long  bench  appropriated 
by  tired  mothers  and  a  few  bored  fathers. 
They  were  all  farmer-folk  looking  rather 
wistfully  at  the  town  throngs  that  swept  noisily 
by,  and  thinking  of  the  homegoing  and  the 
cares  and  chickens  at  the  end  of  it.  Their 
forms  were  shrunken  forward  as  if  feeling  the 
need  of  accustomed  burdens  to  hold  the  shoul- 
ders erect,  but  their  faces  had  the  grim  de- 
termination of  those  who  never  meant  to  say 
die. 

Zack  sank  upon  the  bench  beside  Mrs.  Flood 
with  — "  When  do  you  reckon  Minna  will  get 
enough  of  this?  " 

"O   Zack!"    she    reproached   him.     "The 


RICHARD'S  KISS  127 

afternoon  has  hardly  begun.  She  will  want  to 
stay  till  the  moon  rises.  And  I'm  not  a  bit 
tired.  I'm  enjoying  myself  the  best  in  the 
world!" 

"  Yes,"  said  Zack,  staring  at  the  trees  that 
shaded  them,  "  it's  awful  fun.  Wonder  why 
B.  M.  doesn't  cut  out  those  dead  branches? 
To-morrow  I'm  going  to  change  my  cattle  to 
the  East  Meadow.  It  ought  to  have  been  done 
to-day.  Say,  honey,  Richard  told  me  awhile 
ago  that  she  saw  Jack  Palmer  in  a  buggy,  driv- 
ing out  of  the  grounds." 

"Jack  Palmer!"  echoed  his  wife,  with  an 
uneasy  movement. 

"  Yes.  But  Juanita  says  he  isn't  here. 
Richard  says  he  had  a  girl  with  him  but  she 
couldn't  see  who  it  was,  he  drove  so  fast. 
Juanita  might  be  mistaken,  you  know.  Jack 
has  a  way  of  bobbing  up.  It'd  be  pretty  tough 
on  Juanita  if  he  is  after  some  other  girl 
—  Richard  ought  to  know  Jack  half  a  mile 
away." 

She  spoke  with  some  severity.  "  Richard 
shouldn't  have  said  a  word  about  it  unless  she 


128        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

were  certain.     And  if  she  knew  it  was  Jack, 
she  ought  to  know  the  girl  with  him." 

He  scrutinized  her  silently.  He  knew  his 
wife's  ways  so  thoroughly  that  he  was  instantly 
aware  of  something  hidden.  It  might  be  that 
she  was  displeased  with  Richard  about  some- 
thing, in  which  case  —  especially  if  it  related 
to  Minna  —  whatever  Richard  might  say  or  do 
would  be  censured.  Mrs.  Flood  had  no  more 
use  for  Jack  Palmer  than  he,  and  they  were 
equally  pleased  that  "  business  in  the  city " 
should  keep  him  out  of  the  community.  "  Rich- 
ard was  just  surprised  and  told  me  because 
she  thought — " 

"  Of  course  she  would  tell  you"  Mrs.  Flood 
interposed,  displeased.  "  She  has  not  been 
near  me  since  dinner.  I  think  it  strange  that 
she  should  say  she  doesn't  know  who  the  girl 
was.  If  she  knew  Jack,  she  ought  to  have 
known  the  girl.  Juanita  is  going  to  the  city 
with  Mr.  Gridge  to  the  theater,  and  while 
there,  she  expects  to  see  Jack.  Her  aunt  told 
me  so.  I  think  Richard  had  very  little  to  do 
to  report  what  she  couldn't  have  been  sure  of." 


RICHARD'S  KISS  129 

Zack  wandered  away,  thoughtful.  His 
wife's  speech  had  convinced  him  that  she  was 
hiding  something  of  serious  import.  He  could 
have  found  out  what  it  was  by  inquiry,  had  he 
known  what  to  ask.  This  vague  uncertainty 
made  him  restless,  and  having  nothing  else  to 
do,  he  concluded  to  seek  Richard  and,  if  pos- 
sible, learn  something  definite. 

It  was  difficult  to  find  any  one  in  that  ever- 
shifting  scene,  and  particularly  Richard  who 
had  developed  no  intimacies  since  coming  to 
live  with  the  Floods,  hence  was  not  to  be  ex- 
pected as  part  of  any  flying  squadron  of  femi- 
ninity. However,  Zack  continued  his  search 
moved  by  a  nameless  uneasiness  concerning  he 
hardly  knew  what. 

In  the  meantime,  if  Richard  had  feared  she 
might  be  sought  for,  she  could  hardly  have 
found  a  more  advantageous  hiding-place  than 
the  little  hollow  where,  at  that  very  moment, 
she  lay  on  shadowed  turf.  It  was  a  sort  of 
grass-well,  sunk  in  the  midst  of  that  dry  world 
of  social  activity  for  the  catching  of  happiness. 
It  was  not  deep  enough  to  tap  such  a  bubbling 


130        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

spring,  but  there  was  at  least  promise  of  con- 
tent. Resting  upon  the  sloping  side,  Richard 
could  hear  the  blending  of  myriad  voices,  the 
passing  footsteps,  the  stamping  and  neighing 
of  tethered  horses,  and  always  the  violent 
clashings  of  the  local  band  with  the  steam 
merry-go-round.  Best  of  all,  nobody  could  see 
her,  unless  beaten  paths  were  forsaken  —  and 
nearly  everybody  follows  the  paths  made  by 
other  feet.  She  had  found  this  verdant  well 
because  of  a  tendency  to  avoid  places  where 
everybody  goes;  happiness  started  a  trickling 
vein  when  Alfred  Montgomery  peeped  over 
the  margin. 

"  I  see !  "  cried  Alfred,  scrambling  down  be- 
side her,  and  propping  himself  against  the  only 
tree.  "  The  way  to  enjoy  a  picnic  is  to  keep 
away  from  it."  His  manner  was  so  gay  that 
Richard  fairly  glowed,  and  glowing,  looked 
like  a  new  Richard,  a  Richard  too  thin,  no 
doubt,  but  counting  a  great  deal  for  what  there 
was  of  her. 

Unfortunately,  Alfred's  gaiety  was  the 
forced  nonchalance  of  a  hero,  who  calls  his 


RICHARD'S  KISS  131 

mortal  wound  a  "  mere  scratch."  It  was  too 
great  an  effort  to  keep  it  up.  "  I'm  all  in, 
Richard,"  he  confided,  but  without  uttering  the 
groan  in  his  heart.  "  I  mention  it  to  post  you 
up;  and  now  we'll  not  speak  a  word  —  just 
rest  in  silence." 

He  closed  his  eyes  to  indicate  that  he  wasn't 
there. 

Her  color  ebbed,  vanished.  The  hollow 
seemed  coldly  deserted,  whereas  before  the 
young  man's  coming,  thoughts  had  filled  it  to 
the  brim. 

"  She  said,"  suddenly  announced  Alfred,  who 
was  there  after  all,  u  that  she  could  never  care 
for  me.  I  am  simply  impossible.  I'm  so  dry 
and  prosy  and  boresome  that  a  million  years 
wouldn't  make  me  mellow.  The  longer  I  am, 
the  more  knotty  and  gnarled  I  grow!  She 
plunged  those  heavenly  autumn-brown  eyes  into 
the  remotest  future,  but  she  couldn't  see  me." 
He  relapsed. 

Richard  stirred  uneasily. 

A  shower  of  confetti  directed  against  an  in- 
visible enemy  rained  down  upon  them.  The 


132         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

whine  of  the  merry-go-round  continued  to  jab 
into  the  continuity  of  the  brass  band's  popular 
air.  The  high  notes  of  a  public  speaker  evoked 
visions  of  a  pungent  platform  of  undressed 
pine,  its  uprights  swathed  in'red,  white  and  blue, 
the  sun  boiling  the  resin  out  of  its  exposed 
boards,  and  the  bit  of  ice  early  giving  up  the 
unequal  contest  in  the  water-pitcher. 

"  It  doesn't  matter  whether  I'm  here  or 
there,"  he  suddenly  declared.  "  I've  lost  the 
sense  of  variety.  China  would  seem  the  same 
as  California,  without  her.  And  there'll  never 
be  an  end  to  this.  .  .  .  I'll  always  want  her  and 
she'll  never  want  me.  If  it  were  any  physical 
hurt,  you'd  know  time  would  cure  it,  or  you'd 
die.  But  I'll  never  be  cured  and  I  suppose  I 
won't  die.  I'm  too  weakly.  Did  you  ever 
notice  that  it's  generally  the  strong  people  that 
do  the  dying?  " 

Richard  started  to  her  feet.  u  I  wish  you 
wouldn't  talk  about  dying,"  she  exclaimed. 
"  It  hurts  me." 

"  It  needn't.  I  don't  mind.  There's  no 
Minna  for  me,  and  I  don't  want  anything  else. 


RICHARD'S  KISS  133 

I'll  go  to-morrow  —  not  that  I  care  whether  I 
do  anything  at  the  university  or  not  —  that's 
ceased  to  interest  me.  But  I  must  get  away,  I 
mustn't  see  her  again." 

Richard  saw  the  world  in  cold  gray  tints. 

"  I'm  a  brute  to  come  here  and  spoil  your 
reveries.  But  the  truth  is,  Richard,  I'm  so 
selfish,  I'm  willing  to  make  you  unhappy  to  get 
ever  so  little  comfort.  You  see  how  weak  I  am 
—  in  every  way.  But  it  would  be  different  if  I 
didn't  know  it's  for  always.  I'll  never  be  any 
good  because  I'm  too  poor  to  live  in  the  open 
air  in  a  climate  that  might  make  me  strong.  I 
must  make  my  living  with  my  wits,  practicing 
law  when  I'm  fit  for  it,  and  there's  nothing 
about  me  for  a  woman  to  love,  nobody  could 
care  for  me  because  I'm  no  good,  and  oh,  you 
can't  imagine  how  I  want  to  be  loved  —  by 
her!  I  don't  know  why  I  let  myself  suppose 
she  or  anybody  else  could  take  a  fancy  to  me. 
This  isn't  despondency.  The  only  merit  I 
claim  is  looking  squarely  in  the  face  of  facts." 

Richard  interposed  breathlessly:  "  If  you 
go  to-morrow,  I  won't  see  you  again,  will  I  ?  " 


134        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Not  until  next  vacation  —  a  whole  year  — 
a  long,  long  doleful  — " 

"  Then  if  this  is  the  last  time  we  are  to 
meet  .  .  .  And  you  are  very,  very  sure  that 
your  unfortunate  attachment  is  forever  and 
ever?  " 

"  Yes  —  just  the  way  you  said  it,  Richard. 
You  understand  me." 

"  Then,  since  we're  to  meet  no  more,  and  you 
are  always  to  love  Cousin  Minna  —  I  am  go- 
ing to  tell  you  something."  But  instead  of 
telling  him  what  was  in  her  mind,  she  stopped 
short  and  colored  painfully,  trying  in  vain  to 
still  the  strange,  wild  beating  of  her  heart. 

Alfred,  seated  with  his  back  against  the  tree, 
hands  lying  loosely  between  his  knees,  did  not 
look  up.  In  his  mood  of  utter  dejection,  what 
could  he  care  to  see? 

"  There  is  one  thing,"  exclaimed  Richard, 
escaping  from  her  former  purpose  and  seeming 
harsh  because  desperately  hiding  her  real  feel- 
ing; "  you  are  a  great  deal  more  than  you  claim. 
There  is  a  world  of  entertainment  and  —  and 
high  talk  in  you.  Why  will  you  try  to  make 


RICHARD'S  KISS  135 

yourself  out  nothing?  Why  are  you  deter- 
mined to  make  everybody  believe  you  a  minor 
character?  Did  you  ever  hear  me  say  I'm 
nothing  but  a  poor  orphan?  I  know  there's 
something  in  me  —  I  can  feel  it ;  some  day  it'll 
come  out  in  a  big  book,  then  people  will  find 
me  out.  Now  they  think  me  what  you  say  you 
are  —  nothing!  But  I  know  I'm  great  —  that 
upholds  me !  "  Her  eyes  burned  and  her  head 
lifted  itself  proudly,  but  the  next  moment,  tears 
came  at  sight  of  his  haggard  face.  She  moved 
impulsively  to  his  side.  "  Oh  —  if  I  could 
give  you  some  of  my  courage !  "  she  exclaimed, 
clenching  her  hand  over  her  heart. 

"  Dear  little  friend !  "  he  murmured,  reach- 
ing up  to  take  her  hand.  "  You'd  make  me 
brave  if  you  could,  but  at  this  moment,  I  con- 
fess, I'm  a  coward.  Isn't  there  a  tiny  bit  of 
credit  just  in  the  confession?  I'm  afraid,  oh, 
Richard,  I'm  afraid  of  —  life  and  its  long  des- 
ert stretches !  "  He  smiled  in  a  way  to  touch 
her  deeply.  "  My  '  high  talk.'  Thank  you ! 
But  that's  really  a  disadvantage,  it's  a  barrier 
I  can't  surmount.  ...  I  wonder  what  Jack 


136        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

says  to  her?  They  can  talk  together.  .  .  . 
Do  you  observe  that  I  want  a  little  credit  even 
in  giving  everything  up?  I'm  still  human,  you 
see !  Don't  be  unhappy  about  me ;  the  fact  is, 
I'm  not  worth  it.  Truly,  I  am  an  exceedingly 
minor  character  and  so  uncomfortable,  for  with 
every  bit  of  my  soul  —  which  seems  unusually 
large,  now  that  I  think  of  it — "  another  smile 
half  whimsical,  half  melancholy  — "  I  want 
what  is  never  to  be  mine." 

"  Make  it  yours  by  wanting  it  all  the  harder. 
Oh,  be  brave  —  be  brave  so  you'll  not  dis- 
honor me !  Because  I  have  made  you  my 
knight."  Richard  swiftly  stooped  and  kissed 
him  upon  the  brow.  "  It's  good  for  you  to 
know,"  she  faltered,  panic-stricken  at  what  she 
had  done,  "that  —  somebody  —  can  love  you 
.  .  .  somebody  does! "  With  that,  she  fled, 
leaving  him  breathless,  gazing  after  her  with 
bewildered  eyes,  still  feeling  the  soft  warmth  of 
her  lips. 

Richard  was  so  dazed  by  the  deed  she  could 
never  have  thought  possible,  that  she  almost 
ran  into  her  uncle  without  observing  him. 


RICHARD'S  KISS  137 

"  Found  at  last!  "  exclaimed  Zack,  catching 
her  arm  as  she  fled.  "  Look  here,  my  dear, 
haven't  you  the  slightest  notion  who  that  girl 
was?" 

She  looked  at  him,  her  face  crimson,  her 
bosom  tumultuous.  "  I  don't  understand,"  she 
faltered  guiltily.  Did  he  mean  herself?  She 
was  conscious  that  he  watched  her  narrowly 
and  that  she  looked  stupidly  over  his  head,  but 
it  was  impossible  to  collect  her  wits  or  control 
her  features. 

He  tried  again :  "  Absolutely  sure  that  was 
Jack  Palmer  in  the  buggy?  " 

"  Oh,"  faltered  Richard,  still  panting. 
"  Yes.  I  know  it  was.  I  know  it."  She  re- 
peated the  words  in  a  wild  effort  to  regain  com- 
posure. "  Oh,  yes,  it  was  Mr.  Jack  Palmer 
—  not  a  doubt  of  it." 

"Which  way  did  they  go?"  he  demanded 
sternly.  Her  manner  confirmed  his  worst 
fears.  She  pointed  with  trembling  hand.  In 
that  direction  lay  his  farm. 

It  was  not  long  after,  when  he  drew  his  wife 
to  one  side :  "  Honey,  I've  hitched  up  —  go- 


ing  over  to  the  house  for  awhile  —  thought  I'd 
explain,  so  if  you  missed  me  .  .  ." 

"Going  home?"  Mrs.  Flood  echoed,  start- 
led. "  But  what  will  Minna  say?  Minna 
might  want  the  horses  for  something;  or  she 
might  need  you." 

"  I  don't  expect  to  be  gone  over  an  hour. 
Two-mile  drive  there  and  back  and  — " 

"  But  aren't  you  enjoying  the  picnic?  It  will 
seem  so  strange  to  Minna  for  you  to  go  back 
home." 

"  I've  taken  a  notion  in  my  head,"  he  an- 
swered, rather  jerkily,  "  that  Jack  Palmer  is  up 
to  something.  Richard  says  he  drove  in  that 
direction  and  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  to  find 
him  at  our  house,  both  him  and  that  girl.  Of 
course  it's  a  curious  notion.  All  mine  are. 
Anyway  I'll  be  glad  to  tell  you  when  I  come 
back,  that  I  found  the  farm  deserted." 

"  I'm  going  with  you."  Mrs.  Flood  was 
pale. 

"  But  if  Minna  missed  you,  honey,  wouldn't 
she  think  it  strange?  " 

"  As   you   said,   we   won't  be   gone   long." 


RICHARD'S  KISS  139 

She  hurried  after  him  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
grove  where  many  horses  were  fastened. 

He  made  no  effort  to  dissuade  her.  "  When 
did  you  see  Minna  last?  "  he  inquired  as  he 
turned  the  wheel  for  her  to  get  into  the  car- 
riage. 

"  Oh,  not  so  very  long  ago  —  at  noon  —  at 
the  picnic  dinner.  What  time  is  it  now?" 

"  After  four.  Juanita  and  her  aunt  have 
already  left  for  the  city  with  B.  M.  Gridge." 
He  drove  rapidly  out  upon  the  road. 

"  I  thought  /  saw  Jack  Palmer  in  a  buggy, 
about  one  o'clock,"  faltered  Mrs.  Flood,  pres- 
ently. "  I  didn't  say  anything  because  I  wasn't 
sure.  There  was  just  a  flash  of  him  as  he 
passed.  I  saw  the  girl  plainer  than  I  did  him." 

"  Know  her  ?  "  he  looked  swiftly  back  over 
the  front  seat. 

"I  —  it  seemed  so."  She  was  leaning  back 
against  the  cushion  with  a  pallid  face. 

"  Who  did  you  think  it  was?  " 

"  Everything  was  so  sudden,"  she  murmured 
faintly. 

He  lashed  at  the  horses,  and  they,  unused  to 


140        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

the  whip,  bounded  forward.  It  was  all  he  could 
do  to  draw  them  down  from  a  gallop,  and  not 
another  word  was  spoken  till  the  yard-gate  was 
reached. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TWO    MARRIAGES 

AT  the  gate,  Zack  Flood  leaped  out  and 
began  tying  the  horses. 
"What     are     you     doing?"     ex- 
claimed   his    wife,    with    apprehensive    gaze. 
"  Aren't   you    going   to    drive   me    up    to    the 
house?  " 

As  he  swiftly  tightened  the  slipknot,  his  eyes 
devoured  the  yard,  house  and  barnlot  beyond. 
Everything  in  sight  was  exactly  as  he  had  left 
it  on  driving  away  to  the  picnic  that  morning 
—  with  one  exception.  An  upstairs  window 
was  open  —  the  window  near  which  the  sugar- 
maple  held  its  leafy  screen  —  the  window  of 
Minna's  room. 

It  seemed  to  Mrs.  Flood  that  he  had  hardly 
touched  the  ground  before  he  was  darting  over 
the  stile.  "  Zack !  "  she  called,  piteously,  "  oh, 
Zack!" 

141 


i42        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

He  looked  back,  without  slackening  his  pace. 
His  feet  were  winged  with  the  magic  of  youth; 
but  the  face  he  turned  toward  her  was  pinched 
and  whitened  as  with  sudden  age.  His  boot 
rang  upon  the  front  porch  before  she  could  find 
strength  to  creep  from  the  carriage. 

The  front  door  was  locked,  as  he  had  left  it. 
Even  while  thrusting  the  key  into  the  lock,  he 
shot  a  glance  toward  the  lot,  thinking  that  from 
the  porch-elevation,  he  might  catch  sight  of  a 
horse  and  buggy  hidden  behind  the  barn.  The 
grassless  extent  surrounding  the  barn  showed 
nothing  in  the  mellow  sunlight  but  the  long 
feeding-trough  where  a  cat  lay  sleeping,  the 
scattered  corncobs  —  forming  a  network  of  sil- 
ver, pearl  and  gold  —  and  six  or  seven  mules 
that  had  straggled  up  from  the  pasture  against 
feeding-time. 

He  dashed  open  the  door,  and  almost  fell 
into  the  front  room.  The  house  was  as  silent 
as  the  deserted  farm.  There  was  the  sudden 
deadness  of  wall-enclosed  air  after  a  hot  day 
spent  in  the  open,  and  the  strangeness  of 
deathlike  stillness  to  oppose  his  agony. 


TWO  MARRIAGES  143 

The  large  apartment,  a  sitting-room,  had 
four  doors.  Besides  the  one  he  had  entered, 
there  was  one  opening  out  upon  a  side-porch, 
one  leading  to  the  parlor,  and  one  communi- 
cating with  the  dining-room.  With  swift 
strides  he  reached  the  other  outside  door  and 
drew  it  open  —  since  his  departure  that  morn- 
ing, it  had  been  unfastened. 

He  ran  next  to  the  dining-room  door,  for  in 
that  room  was  the  staircase.  This  door  was 
never  locked,  but  now  he  could  not  open  it. 
Some  one  held  the  knob  on  the  other  side  in 
a  grip  not  to  be  overcome. 

Resistance  infuriated  the  farmer.  He  mut- 
tered between  his  teeth  in  a  low  voice,  as  if  to 
himself,  "  I'll  get  it  open !  " 

In  a  corner  behind  an  old-fashioned  etagere 
stood  his  shotgun.  He  darted  thither,  but  it 
had  been  so  long  since  the  weapon  was  in  his 
hand,  that  the  piece  of  furniture  had  become 
wedged  against  it.  In  drawing  it  out,  the  con- 
tents of  its  fragile  shelves  came  crashing  to  the 
floor  —  shells,  albums,  loose  photographs,  bits 
of  coral,  gilt-edged  books  of  poems.  Because 


144        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

of  the  delay  from  this  downfall,  the  inner  door 
opened  before  he  could  snatch  forth  the  gun. 
When  he  wheeled  about,  his  antagonist  had  al- 
ready entered  the  room  —  he  stood,  now,  with 
his  back  against  the  closed  door. 

With  the  man  he  sought  unexpectedly  before 
him  and  in  his  power,  Zack  Flood  lost  his  fever- 
ish sense  of  the  need  of  haste.  Standing  in  the 
midst  of  the  wreckage,  he  raised  the  gun  to  his 
shoulder,  pausing  before  it  was  adjusted,  then 
overcoming  his  hesitation  rather  by  force  of  will 
than  flame  of  passion. 

"  I  am  going  to  kill  you,"  he  said,  and  his 
tone  was  touched  by  something  like  surprise. 

If  he  had  seen  any  cowardly  shrinking,  any 
craven  show  of  mortal  terror,  of  impotent  guilt, 
all  would  have  been  over  in  a  moment.  But 
Jack  Palmer  stood  not  only  erect  and  brave,  but 
calmly  at  his  ease.  Into  the  chaos  of  the 
farmer's  mind  shot  the  disconcerting  thought 
that  the  young  man  was  wonderfully  handsome 
while  the  impression  he  produced  of  bulk  and 
vitality  somehow  gave  to  the  deadly  threat  a 
touch  of  the  grotesque.  What  had  happened 


TWO  MARRIAGES  145 

between  this  interloper  and  his  daughter  had 
happened  for  all  time ;  but  if  he  took  the  other's 
life,  it  must  be  now,  and  the  instant  the  parlor 
door  was  snatched  open  and  his  daughter  darted 
into  the  room  with  a  wild  scream,  he  knew  the 
decisive  moment  was  lost. 

As  Minna,  with  outstretched  arms,  rushed 
forward  to  seize  the  threatening  weapon,  her 
mother  came  in  from  the  front  porch,  and  stood 
appalled. 

"Father!"  shrieked  Minna.  "You  don't 
understand.  He  is  my  husband  —  we  were 
married  more  than  a  month  ago  .  .  ." 

"  Married ! "  Mrs.  Flood  echoed. 
"  Minna !  "  Her  amazement  kept  her  voice 
scarce  above  a  whisper,  but  even  on  receiving 
this  astounding  fact,  she  sought  desperately  to 
turn  it  to  her  daughter's  defense.  "  Now  you 
understand,  Zack,"  she  faltered,  addressing  her 
husband  with  glazed  eyes.  "  You  see  how  it  is. 
They  —  they  married  and  —  and  were  afraid 
to  tell." 

"Did  you  know?"  he  asked,  with  sudden 
fierceness. 


146        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  You  see,"  she  cried,  laughing  hysterically, 
"  it  was  all  to  be  explained  at  the  right  time 
.  .  .  at  the  right  time — "  She  fell  to  the 
floor,  unconscious. 

Zack  turned  away  from  Minna,  and  quietly 
replaced  the  gun  in  the  corner.  "  Did  your 
mother  know?"  he  asked,  not  looking  round. 

Minna  sank  down  beside  the  prostrate 
figure.  "  Oh,  my  darling  mother ! "  she 
moaned.  "Mother!  Have  I  broken  your 
heart?  Won't  you  speak  to  me?  Father! 
she  doesn't  move  —  she  isn't  breathing.  Come 
quick.  Mother !  Mother !  " 

Mrs.  Flood  quivered,  brought  back  to  the 
world  by  the  voice  that  might  almost  have  re- 
covered her  from  death. 

Minna  lifted  the  white  face  in  her  arm  and 
kissed  it  convulsively.  "  You  have  forgiven 
me,  haven't  you,  Mother?  You  have  forgiven 
us  both,  haven't  you  ?  "  She  burst  into  pas- 
sionate weeping.  "  Oh,  I'm  afraid  you  are  go- 
ing to  be  ill  —  Father,  I'm  afraid  she  is  going 
to  be  ill!" 

Mrs.  Flood  tried  to  whisper  a  protest. 


TWO  MARRIAGES  147 

"  Let  me  lift  her  on  the  couch,"  said  Jack, 
coming  forward. 

Zack  stepped  between  him  and  the  women. 
"  Did  she  know  about  your  marriage?  "  he  de- 
manded in  a  restrained  voice. 

"  Now  I  know  this  is  a  great  surprise  to  you, 
Mr.  Flood,  and  I'm  awfully  sorry  about  that 
part  of  it,  though  there  didn't  seem  any  other 
way.  And  I  can  understand!  very  well,  that 
you'd  rather  see  the  devil  than  me,  at  present 
—  so  I'll  leave.  We  were  married  at  the 
county-seat  the  day  of  Minna's  auto-party  .  .  . 
and  when  Mrs.  Flood  is  well,  we  can  talk  it 
all  over,  and  decide  on  what  we  are  to  do." 

"  Don't  go  —  that  way,"  came  the  feeble 
voice  of  Mrs.  Flood.  "  Come  here,  Jack." 

With  a  light  step  he  gained  Minna's  side, 
and  knelt  beside  her. 

"You  love  Minna,"  Mrs.  Flood  faltered, 
"  love  me,  too." 

He  answered  heartily,  "  Sure !  Why,  Mrs. 
Flood,  haven't  I  always  loved  this  family?  I 
don't  see  why  we  couldn't  be  perfectly  happy, 
all  of  us  together.  Let  me  lift  you  up." 


148        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  No,  I  want  to  lie  here,  awhile.  I  am  so 
tired.  My  heart  isn't  as  strong  as  it  used  to 
be,  and  that  picnic  was  very  hot  and  tiresome  — 
and  so  long." 

"  Bring  the  sofa-pillow,  Jack,"  whispered 
Minna. 

"  Oh,  no,  Minna,  dear,  you  aren't  tired  hold- 
ing my  head,  are  you  ?  " 

"How  could  I  be  tired  of  holding  you?" 
exclaimed  Minna  in  self-reproach.  "  And, 
Mother,  you  are  a  perfect  angel.  We  had  to 
marry,  or  be  miserable  all  our  lives.  You 
wouldn't  want  your  little  girl  to  die  of  a  broken 
heart,  I  know." 

"  I  want  my  little  girl  to  be  oh  —  so,  so 
happy — "  Mrs.  Flood  suddenly  burst  into 
uncontrollable  sobbing.  "  You'll  make  her 
happy,  Jack,  won't  you?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  do  my  best,  Mrs.  Flood,  my 
very  best." 

"  He  is  all  my  happiness !  "  cried  Minna. 
"  But  father  was  so  set  against  it  that  we  knew 
he  never  could  understand;  it  wouldn't  be  any 
use  to  try  to  make  him  see  things  in  their  true 


TWO  MARRIAGES  149 

light.  If  we'd  waited  a  thousand  years,  it 
would  have  been  the  same  to  him." 

"  You  only  promised  to  wait  six  months," 
said  Zack. 

"  And  —  and  besides  —  anyway,  it's  done, 
now;  we  can't  have  it  any  other  way;  it's  done." 

"  As  I  understand  it,"  said  Zack,  re- 
strainedly,  "  you  got  married  the  day  you  toured 
to  the  city?  There  were  four  of  you  in  the 
car  —  you  two  and  Juanita  Smith  and  B.  M. 
Gridge?" 

"  Yes,  and  Mr.  Gridge  was  so  devoted  to 
Juanita  — " 

"  Who  was  your  betrothed,  I  believe  ?  "  he 
turned  to  Jack,  politely. 

"  Well  —  and  —  and  Jack  and  I  thought  it 
would  be  a  —  it  would  be  so  —  so  funny,  you 
know  —  oh,  Father,  you  could  never  understand. 
It's  all  in  the  new  world,  the  new  thought  .  .  . 
We  stopped  at  the  county-seat  for  dinner,  and 
while  Mr.  Gridge  was  showing  Juanita  the 
town,  we  slipped  to  the  justice's — " 

Suddenly  Jack  gave  a  curious  sound  which 
he  tried  to  cover  by  a  racking  cough.  He  felt 


150        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

sincerely  sorry  for  all  this  unhappiness,  but  to 
save  his  life  he  couldn't  help  remembering  how 
the  infatuated  B.  M.  Gridge  had  triumphed 
when  carrying  away  Juanita  to  see  the  sights. 

"  I  believe  I  am  all  right,  now,"  murmured 
Mrs.  Flood.  "  Help  me  up,  Daughter —  and 
—  and  Jack  —  my  son  .  .  ." 

They  lifted  her  gently  to  a  chair  while  her 
husband  looked  on  without  protest.  He  said 
to  Minna: 

"  And  you  call  that  *  funny.'  I  should  call 
it  —  but  I  am  old-fashioned,  no  doubt." 

"  Yes,  Father,"  she  cried,  quickly,  "  you  are 
old-fashioned,  the  dearest  old-fashioned  father 
that  ever  lived,  but  still  —  but  still,  you  are  not 
in  —  in  the  current  of  life  as  —  it  —  is  lived 
to-day,  and  you  can't  see  how  we  look  at  it  — 
I  mean,  Jack  and  I  ..." 

"  And  Juanita,"  added  her  father,  simply. 
"  She  thinks  it  funny,  too  ?  Or  does  she  know 
anything  about  it?  " 

"  You  see,"  Minna  explained,  "  it  had  to  be 
kept  a  secret  from  her  because  if  it  was  to  be 
a  secret,  nobody  must  know ;  and  of  course  we'd 


TWO  MARRIAGES  151 

have  told  you  and  mother  if  we'd  told  anybody. 
So  we  couldn't  tell  Juanita,  though  Jack  felt 
miserable  about  it." 

"  I've  felt  all  the  time  that  she  ought  to 
know,"  declared  Jack,  "  and  since  I  couldn't 
explain,  I've  kept  out  of  her  sight.  I  just  drove 
over  to-day  from  the  nearest  station  to  see  — 
my  wife.  I  didn't  mean  for  any  of  you  to 
know.  I  hoped  this  could  be  kept  hidden  till 
Minna's  six  months'  promise  was  up  so  that  — 
well,  I  hardly  know  how  to  explain  it.  I  might 
as  well  say  frankly  that  we  loved  each  other 
and  couldn't  wait,  but  we  did  our  best  to  spare 
your  feelings." 

"  I'll  telegraph  to  Juanita,"  remarked  Zack, 
collectedly;  "  I  can  get  her  at  the  hotel  and  I'd 
rather  she'd  know  how  things  stand,  before  she 
comes  back  to  Pendleton." 

"Hadn't  you  better  leave  that  to  me?" 
asked  Jack,  coldly. 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  afraid  you  wouldn't  do  it." 

Minna  burst  into  tears. 

"  Zack!  "  his  wife  reproached  him.  "  Isn't 
everything  sad  enough  without  making  it  worse? 


152        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

As  Minna  says,  it  can't  be  helped.  It's  done, 
now.  Zack,  you  are  as  hard  as  stone  —  you 
are  breaking  Minna's  heart." 

"  But  she's  not  going  to  break  mine,"  said 
Zack,  suddenly  bringing  his  clenched  fist  down 
upon  his  desk  with  such  violence  that  the  top 
was  split.  He  turned  his  back  on  them,  but 
it  was  only  for  a  moment.  When  he  turned 
again,  his  face  was  white,  but  his  eyes  steady, 
his  voice  in  good  control.  He  looked  at  Jack. 
"  You  made  a  good  suggestion  awhile  ago.  I 
wish  you'd  leave  us  till  I  can  get  this  thing 
thoroughly  fixed  in  my  mind." 

The  young  man  stepped  to  the  door  with 
alacrity,  saying,  "  I  am  awfully  sorry  .  .  . 
I'll  do  everything  in  my  power  to  make  you  like 
me." 

"  I  do  like  you,"  was  Zack's  surprising  re- 
sponse. 

"  Minna's  happiness  is  the  first  consideration 
of  our  hearts,"  called  Mrs.  Flood,  consolingly. 
"  It's  hard  for  us  to  understand  how  our  little 
girl  —  without  letting  us  know  —  oh,  without 


TWO  MARRIAGES  153 

a  word!"  She  started  laughing  again  —  the 
laughter  that  never  provokes  response;  but  she 
clenched  her  teeth  in  the  fierce  determination  to 
master  herself.  "We'll  be  all  right,"  she 
gasped.  "  We  do  like  you,  Jack,  and  we  would 
give  our  lives  to  make  Minna  happy." 

When  Jack  was  gone,  the  little  family,  now 
so  strange  to  one  another,  remained  silent  for 
some  time.  Although  Minna  felt  that  her 
father  had  just  cause  to  be  disappointed  in  her, 
she  did  not  think  him  justified  in  such  lengths 
of  disappointment.  It  was  axiomatic  that  she 
and  Jack  must  marry,  and  the  delay  of  six 
months  could  have  made  no  difference,  except 
to  lose  that  space  of  happiness  out  of  their  lives. 
And  at  the  end  of  six  months,  it  would  have 
been  just  as  bitter  for  her  parents.  Of  course, 
it  seemed  wrong  to  take  so  vital  a  step  without 
a  word  of  warning.  Yes,  it  was  wrong.  But 
if  one's  father  and  mother  do  not  forgive, 
surely  forgiveness  is  a  mockery.  Everything 
considered,  her  mother  had  been  brave.  She 
was  a  real  mother,  and  Minna,  kneeling  beside 


154        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

her  chair  with  her  arms  about  the  fragile  form, 
sobbed  repentently,  and  pled  for  the  old  love, 
knowing  it  was  hers  already. 

When  Zack  roused  himself  from  a  state  of 
intense  reflection,  he  telephoned  a  telegraphic 
message  to  the  Pendleton  station-agent  for 
Juanita  Smith's  aunt.  Then  he  drew  a  chair 
near  his  wife,  and  bade  Minna  take  it. 

"  I  want  you  both  to  listen  to  me  with  close 
attention,"  he  said,  at  the  same  time  seating 
himself  opposite  them.  If  his  hand  or  voice 
had  trembled,  if  his  eyes  had  dimmed,  Minna 
would  have  thrown  herself  in  his  lap  with  pas- 
sionate entreaties  for  Jack's  pardon.  But  he 
was  so  matter-of-fact  and  apparently  so  indif- 
ferent, that  the  girl  was  hardened.  She  turned 
a  cold,  set  face  to  him;  it  was  Mrs.  Flood,  un- 
derstanding him  better,  who  showed  great  agi- 
tation, threatening  every  moment  to  interrupt 
his  even  flow  of  carefully-chosen  words. 

"  I  am  forty-nine.  To  young  people  like 
Minna  and  Jack,  that  seems  pretty  old  —  old 
enough  for  me  to  be  willing  to  retire  —  as  a 
back  number  —  to  fall  quietly  into  the  ranks 


TWO  MARRIAGES  155 

of  the  old  men.  But  to  a  fellow  of  sixty  or 
seventy,  I'm  still  in  my  prime.  It's  all  as  you 
look  at  it.  And  this  is  the  way  that  /  look  at 
it:  my  life  isn't  finished,  yet.  Since  I  bought 
this  farm  I've  been  at  the  head  of  it;  I've  added 
to  it  till  we  have  about  seven  hundred  acres; 
and  it's  mine.  If  crops  are  good  or  bad,  it's 
all  between  me  and  the  weather.  Everything's 
planted  as  I  say,  and  grows  as  the  Lord  pleases. 
This  means  living,  to  me,  and  I  don't  feel 
ready,  yet,  to  have  others  regulate  my  life. 
I'm  not  young,  neither  am  I  so  far  along  as 
to  let  others  lead  me  where  I  would  not  go,  as 
the  Bible  says." 

"  Poor  Minna  I  "  murmured  Mrs.  Flood, 
stroking  her  erect  head.  "  You  mustn't  feel  so 
toward  your  father.  There's  nothing  he 
wouldn't  do  for  your  sake." 

"  Yes,"  responded  Zack,  "  there's  one  thing 
I  wouldn't  do.  I  can't  cease  being  Zack 
Flood.  I'd  give  my  life  for  Minna,  I'd  give 
every  cent  I  have  in  the  world  to  you  two,  if 
necessary;  but  I'll  not  give  up  my  independence. 
So  I  am  going  away." 


156        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Going  away!  "  his  wife  echoed,  in  terror. 
"  Zack !  When  ?  For  how  long  ?  " 

"  And  the  question  for  you  to  decide,  honey," 
his  voice  suddenly  softened,  "  is,  whether  or  not 
you'll  go  with  me." 

"  But  I  can't  go  anywhere,  now.  I'm  not 
ready  for  any  kind  of  journey — " 

"  You  won't  have  to  get  ready.  It  isn't  the 
sort  of  journey  you  need  make  preparations 
for.  It's  simply  to  drop  out  of  our  lives." 

She  was  thrilled  with  the  quick  thought  that 
he  must  have  lost  his  mind. 

"  And  we'll  begin  all  over  again,"  he  added, 
simply. 

"  But  I'm  too  old  to  begin  life  all  over,"  she 
reasoned.  "  And  our  life  is  good  as  it  is.  We 
have  Minna  and  we  have  our  home  and  — " 

"  It'll  be  a  week  before  I  can  get  things  in 
shape,"  he  remarked.  "  That'll  give  you  time 
to  think  it  over  carefully — " 

"  But  there's  nothing  to  consider.  We  can't 
leave  Minna  and  besides,  here  is  your  farm  — " 

"  I'll  have  a  lot  to  do,"  he  said,  rising 
abruptly.  "  There's  all  that  cattle  to  be  put 


TWO  MARRIAGES  157 

in  the  other  pasture  .  .  .  yes,  while  I  stay,  I'll 
look  after  things  the  same  as  if  it  were  for 
always.  But  I'll  have  to  go  to  the  city  the  first 
of  the  week  —  I'll  be  gone  only  a  day,  I  think. 
Then  I'll  come  back  and  make  out  the  papers. 
You'll  have  to  make  up  your  mind  by  that  time, 
honey,  whether  you'll  go  or  stay.  I'll  divide 
this  farm  into  two  equal  parts,  and  make  over 
half  of  it  to  Minna.  If  you  go  with  me,  I'll 
sell  the  other  half  and  we'll  take  the  money  to 
start  our  new  lives  in  another  state.  But  if 
you  stay  here,  I'll  have  the  other  half  made 
over  for  you  to  do  what  you  please  with." 

"  Zack,  are  you  losing  your  mind?  O 
Zack !  "  she  started  up  and  ran  to  throw  her 
arms  about  him.  "  What  can  you  mean?  God 
help  us  all  —  you  are  thinking  of  deserting  me 
—  deserting  your  wife  —  deserting  after  our 
vows  to  cling  to  each  other  till  death  —  I  won't 
let  you  go  away  —  you  wouldn't  do  what  you 
have  said  —  it's  because  you're  angry  with 
your  poor  little  girl  who  is  miserable  enough 
without  this  cruel  blow  from  you." 

Minna's  mouth  was  compressed  to  a  hard 


158        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

pale  line.  She  did  not  believe  she  could  ever 
feel  the  same  toward  her  father  after  his  hor- 
rible threat. 

"  No,  honey,  I'll  not  desert  you,"  he  cried, 
putting  his  arm  about  the  thin,  quivering  form. 
"  I'll  take  you  with  me  and  we'll  find  what  hap- 
piness we  can.  I  never  dreamed  of  going 
without  you,  if  you  consent.  Say  you'll  go." 

"  But  how  can  we  go?  Here  is  the  farm. 
And  we  can't  leave  Minna." 

"  Minna  is  provided  for.  She  has  a  hus- 
band, and  I  will  deed  her  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres.  Minna  won't  need  us." 

"  But  we  need  her,  Zack." 

"  No.     I  used  to  think  we  did,  but  we  don't." 

"  /  need  her,  Zack,  I  couldn't  be  happy  very 
far  from  Minna.  Would  it  be  very  far?  " 

"  So  far,  we  would  neither  hear  of  her  nor 
see  her  again  —  at  least  till  five  or  ten  years 
had  passed." 

"  But  I  couldn't  agree  to  that  —  you  know  I 
couldn't  take  the  heart  out  of  my  bosom  — " 

"  Then  I  shall  go  alone." 

"  You   do   mean   to    desert   me !     Oh,    my 


TWO  MARRIAGES  159 

God !  After  all  these  years  —  and  I  have 
tried  to  be  a  good  wife  to  you  —  I  have  been 
a  true  wife,  true  and  devoted." 

"  As  there  is  a  God,  I  shall  never  desert  you. 
If  I  go  alone,  it  will  be  because  you  refuse  to 
go  where  I  go  and  lodge  where  I  shall  lodge." 

"  Go  with  him,  Mother,"  said  Minna,  bit- 
terly. "  He  cannot  forgive  me  and  I  must  not 
separate  you." 

Zack  looked  at  her,  unmoved.  "  I  have  for- 
given you,  Daughter;  I  have  no  feeling  toward 
you  but  love  and  pity." 

She  laughed.  "  Then  you  must  hate  Jack  as 
much  as  I  love  him." 

"  I  like  Jack  well  enough.  This  is  no  sud- 
den impulse;  I'm  not  moved  by  resentment  or 
anything  of  the  sort.  Of  course  some  will  call 
me  crazy  and  others  will  say  it's  pure  stubborn- 
ness. But  I  made  up  my  mind  long  ago.  IF 
you'd  kept  your  promise  to  wait  six  months  — " 

"Don't  reproach  her,  Zack.  Doesn't  she 
feel  bad  enough  ?  " 

"  If  you'd  waited  the  six  months,  then  mar- 
ried Jack,  it  would  have  been  the  same.  Jack 


160        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

and  I  couldn't  live  together  on  a  farm  —  there 
never  was  one  laid  out  big  enough.  He 
wouldn't  do  a  day's  work  in  ten  years,  and  I 
couldn't  help  working  as  hard  as  ever  —  only 
I'd  feel  I  was  doing  it  all  for  Jack  —  I  mean 
to  get  away  while  I  can.  I  want  my  work  to 
be  done  for  my  wife  and  child  —  or  just  for 
myself  if  it  must  be  —  not  for  a  big,  lazy  — 
oh,  yes,  I  like  him.  .  .  .  There's  no  use  talk- 
ing; it  doesn't  help." 

"You  are  cruel,  Father.  You  are  terribly 
unjust.  Jack  means  to  go  to  work — " 

"  Of  course  he  means  to.  Only,  he'll  never 
begin.  He  let  his  own  farm  melt  away  from 
under  his  very  feet  —  though  he  knew  that  if 
his  mother  lived  she'd  be  without  a  home,  yet 
it  didn't  stir  him  to  act.  I'm  not  blaming  him, 
that's  not  my  business.  But  I  know  he'd  never 
do  anything.  I'm  a  very  plain  sort  of  ordinary 
individual,  there  are  no  trimmings  or  flutings 
about  me  —  but  I  don't  mean  to  be  any  man's 
servant." 

"  But  Jack  is  going  to  work.  He  was  un- 
fortunate with  his  farm.  Could  he  help  it  if 


TWO  MARRIAGES  161 

the  corn  wouldn't  grow?  And  he  is  deter- 
mined to  exert  himself.  He  says  he  means  to 
go  into  work  for  all  there  is  in  him.  People 
change,  Father.  And  —  and  it's  very  unkind 
for  you  to  hold  the  past  against  Jack.  Peo- 
ple work  hard  enough  when  there's  something 
to  work  for.  You  think  you  can  see  into  the 
future,  but  nobody  can.  Just  because  he  didn't 
work  himself  to  death  when  he  was  a  boy,  you 
imagine  he  won't  work  now  that  he  has  a  wife 
to  support!  You  are  wrong, —  but  you're  so 
sure  you're  right,  how  can  anybody  convince 
you?" 

"  How  could  Minna  ever  hold  up  her  head 
again?  "  cried  Mrs.  Flood.  "  A  father  has  no 
right  to  make  himself  a  reproach  to  his  daugh- 
ter. It  would  be  a  disgrace  to  her  not  to  know 
where  her  father  was.  Whenever  your  name 
was  mentioned,  people  would  remember  and  — 
and  it  would  be  an  eternal  punishment.  Minna 
doesn't  deserve  that." 

"  I  shall  go  away  in  about  a  week,"  Zack 
said,  firmly.  "  I'll  not  appeal  to  you,  honey,  to 
go  with  me,  I'll  not  work  on  your  feelings  by 


1 62        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

saying  how  lonely  I'll  be  without  you,  because 
in  all  this,  I  consider  your  happiness;  if  you 
think  you'll  be  happier  with  Minna  — " 

"  But  I  can't  leave  Minna.  I  know  she'll 
need  me." 

"  Yes  —  I'm  afraid  she  will.  You  must 
think  it  over  carefully,  for  if  you  go  with  me, 
there'll  be  no  coming  back." 

"  You  don't  want  me  to  go  with  you !  "  she 
cried,  despairingly. 

At  that,  Zack  lost  his  composure.  The  tears 
rushed  to  his  eyes  and  he  reached  out  his  arms 
blindly.  "  Minnie !  Minnie !  —  You're  all  I 
have  left!" 

He  was  a  man  who,  though  uniformly  kind, 
rarely  showed  tenderness,  and  at  sight  of  his 
quivering  face,  her  heart  leaped  in  swift  re- 
sponse. "  My  husband ! "  she  exclaimed 
brokenly,  and  was  about  to  throw  herself  into 
his  arms,  when  Minna's  unhappy  face  arrested 
her. 

"  Poor  Minna !  We  are  tearing  her  heart!  " 
And  Mrs.  Flood  stopped  to  shed  her  tears  on 
her  daughter's  neck. 


TWO  MARRIAGES  163 

The  next  day  brought  no  change  in  affairs 
at  the  Flood  farm.  Zack  was  kind  and  gentle 
but  unalterably  determined;  his  wife  was  tor- 
tured between  conflicting  emotions;  and  Minna 
was  beginning  to  think  that  if  her  father  really 
did  mean  to  go  away,  it  might  be  better  for 
him  to  go  at  once.  In  the  evening,  a  big  piece 
of  news  came  over  the  telephone.  In  answer 
to  a  long-distance  call,  Zack  found  himself  in 
communication  with  B.  M.  Gridge. 

"  Where  are  you?  "  asked  Zack. 

"  Still  in  the  city.     Say,  Zack—" 

Zack  interrupted:  "  I'm  anxious  to  have  a 
talk  with  you,  B.  M.  When  can  I  get  the 
chance?  " 

"  I'll  be  in  Pendleton,  Monday.  Say, 
Zack—" 

"  B.  M !  —  did  Mrs.  Smith  get  my  telegram 
about  Minna's  secret  marriage  to  Jack  Pal- 
mer? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  came  O.  K.,  last  night." 

"  How  did  Juanita  —  was  Juanita  —  did 
she—" 

"  Oh,  it  wasn't  anything  to  Juanita.     Say  I 


164        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

I  called  you  up  to  tell  you  the  news.  About 
an  hour  ago,  Juanita  and  I  —  well,  you  under- 
stand, don't  you?  Congratulations  are  in  or- 
der." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  THREE  DIAMONDS 

AS  he  had  intended,  Zack  Flood  went 
to  the  city  Monday  morning.  It 
was  two  o'clock  on  the  following 
afternoon  when  he  returned  to  Pendleton,  and 
half-past  two  before  he  found  B.  M.  Gridge 
at  the  latter's  drygoods  store.  They  had  not 
met  since  the  merchant's  hurried  marriage,  and 
Zack  resigned  himself  to  a  few  moments  of  at- 
tentive silence  while  his  friend  poured  forth  his 
enthusiastic  tale  of  happiness.  Presently,  how- 
ever, he  interposed: 

"  B.  M.,  where  can  I  talk  to  you  privately?  " 

The  merchant  read  serious  purpose  in  his 

friend's    face.     "  Upstairs  —  come    along.     I 

hope  everything's  all  right  with  you.     I  thought 

you  looked  solemn  when  you  came  in  the  door, 

but  I  can't  think  of  anybody's  troubles  just  now. 

You  see,  I  set  my  heart  on  Juanita  when  she 

165 


i66        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

was  nothing  but  a  kid  in  short  dresses.  Being 
double  her  age  and  not  used  to  society  —  a  dry 
old  bachelor,  nothing  but  business  all  my  life 
—  and  knowing  Jack  Palmer  had  his  eye  on 
her,  and  then  was  engaged  to  her  —  seemed  I 
was  laboring  under  serious  disadvantages,  eh? 
Look  out  for  these  narrow  steps.  So  I  says  to 
myself,  '  There's  only  one  chance  for  you,  old 
horse,  you've  got  to  limber  up.'  That's  what 
I  done.  I  went  in  for  these  physical  stunts 
and  I  stretched  my  muscles  and  flexed  up  my 
ligaments,  yes,  sir,  I  limbered  up.  You  look 
pretty  stiff,  Zack,  you'd  better  try  it,  yourself." 

They  were  upstairs,  in  a  waste  of  boxed-up 
goods,  where  the  light  came  through  cobwebbed 
windows.  The  ceiling  was  low,  the  walls  ir- 
regular. 

"  This  place'll  do,"  Zack  said,  threading  his 
way  to  a  window,  and  seating  himself  upon  a 
long  box  where  there  was  room  for  his  com- 
panion. "  B.  M.,  I'll  only  keep  you  a  few 
minutes,  but  every  minute  you  let  me  talk  will 
be  crowded;  for  I've  reached  the  most  impor- 
tant event  of  my  later  life." 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS       167 

The  merchant,  large,  florid,  red-mustached, 
nodded  his  round,  short-cropped  head. 
"  We've  always  stood  by  each  other,  Zack,  and 
you  know  you  can  depend  upon  me  for  what- 
ever you  want.  But,  oh,  man!  "  he  laid  his 
hand  on  the  other's  shoulder,  "  she's  the  pret- 
tiest thing  God  ever  made.  And  she's  mine  — 
mine,  you  rascal,  do  you  understand!  She 
loves  me.  It  may  not  seem  becoming  in  me  to 
say  so,  but  she  actually  seems  half  mad  with 
love  for  me  —  so  excited,  she's  like  a  streak  of 
lightning  —  and  I'm  crazy,  too.  Wonder 
what  she's  doing  now?  I'll  go  around  to  the 
house  pretty  soon.  .  .  .  Lord,  it's  come  late  in 
life  but  it's  hit  hard.  Nothing  like  limbering 
up.  Let  me  show  you  how  I  can  walk  on  my 
hands—" 

But  he  forgot  his  great  happiness  when  Zack 
told  him  how  he  meant  to  go  away,  perhaps 
never  to  return,  certainly  not  for  years.  "  I 
wouldn't  do  this,  Zack.  Of  course  a  man  nat- 
urally feels  like  you  do,  and  most  men  cut  up 
terrible  at  first  when  their  children  act  so;  but 
after  they  come  'round,  it's  always  harder  be- 


1 68        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

cause  they  didn't  take  their  medicine.  You're 
bound  to  come  'round  in  time,  you  know, 
fathers  and  mothers  always  do,  and  they  just 
make  themselves  miserable  while  they  are  hold- 
ing out.  When  all's  said,  she's  your  daughter 
and  you've  got  to  take  him  in  —  I  know  how 
you  feel  about  Jack;  when  he  was  engaged  to 
Juanita,  /  felt  bad  enough  about  him.  But 
there's  no  real  harm  in  Jack,  you  know,  and  if 
I  were  you  — " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Zack,  quietly,  "  I  didn't 
come  here  to  discuss  all  the  things  you  would 
do.  I've  come  for  your  help.  I  can't  depend 
on  anybody  else  in  this  emergency,  but  I  know 
you  through  and  through  and  you're  a  man  I 
can  trust;  you're  the  man.  We've  been  through 
a  good  deal  together  and  I  know  you  down  to 
your  boots.  Well,  you're  going  to  stand  by  me, 
aren't  you  ?  " 

"Sure!  You  know  it!  I  know  how  it'll 
all  end,  and  I'm  only  sorry  you  can't  skip  to 
the  last  chapter  without  all  this  unhappiness,  for 
the  last  chapter's  bound  to  find  you  and  Minna 
and  Jack  all  making  up  and  living  together 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS        169 

happy  and  contented.     But  go  ahead;  what's 
wanted?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  give  Minna  a  title  to  one-half 
of  the  farm,  and  Minnie  is  to  have  the  rest. 
There's  nearly  seven  hundred  acres  and  that 
ought  to  carry  them  along  five  or  ten  years,  ac- 
cording to  their  rate  of  speed.  Of  course  all 
I  give  my  wife  will  go  to  Minna,  and  all  she 
has  goes  to  Jack,  and  all  he  gets — "  Zack 
waved  his  arm  at  the  upper  air.  "  But  it'll 
take  time  to  eat  up  that  much  dirt.  I  want  to 
stay  away  till  the  last  clod's  gone." 

"  Jack  may  take  an  idea  to  turn  industrious." 
"  He  won't  be  satisfied  till  it's  all  gone,"  said 
Zack,  as  if  the  other  had  not  spoken.  "  Of 
course  Minna  will  want  to  keep  him  happy,  so 
she'll  pour  everything  into  his  pocket.  When 
there's  nothing  left,  not  even  a  likely  father-in- 
law,  maybe  he'll  hit  a  few  licks,  I  don't  know. 
But  in  the  meantime,  I'm  afraid  my  wife  may 
have  a  hard  time.  I  had  five  thousand  dollars 
in  the  bank  but  I  daren't  make  it  over  to  her 
because  it  would  be  the  same  as  throwing  it  at 
Jack's  head.  Look  at  this." 


i yo        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Between  them,  on  the  box,  he  opened  a 
package  which  until  then  he  had  carried  in  a 
firm  grip. 

"Diamonds!"  whispered  B.  M.  Gridge  in 
amazement.  "  What  beauties !  "  He  looked 
quickly  about  the  bare  room  to  make  sure  no 
one  was  listening.  The  sunlight  streaming 
through  the  gritty  panes,  seemed  turned  to 
liquid  fire  as  it  quivered  on  the  glorious  stones. 

Zack  spoke  in  a  low  tone,  but  without  the 
other's  enthusiasm.  "  This  butterfly  pin  is 
worth  a  thousand  dollars.  This  necklace  cost 
two  thousand  five  hundred.  This  third  dia- 
mond —  the  bracelet  —  came  at  fifteen  hun- 
dred." 

"  Gorgeous !  "  exclaimed  Gridge,  his  eyes 
sparkling.  "  Lord,  how  they  would  set  off 
Juanita!  I  must  get  her  something  like  that 
when  I  can  afford  it.  And  if  I  do  as  well  this 
year  as  I  did  last,  by  George,  I'll  fix  her  up  at 
Christmas!  How  on  earth,  Zack,  did  you 
come  by  all  these  ornaments?  " 

"  All  the  money  I  had  —  except  five  hundred 
I  mean  to  carry  with  me  —  is  in  these  diamonds. 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS       171 

They  are  for  my  wife,  and  you'll  keep  them  for 
her—" 

"I?  Oh,  no!  This  is  too  great  a  respon- 
sibility." 

"You'll  keep  them  for  her;  and  when  you 
find  that  she  is  in  need,  you'll  give  her  first  the 
pin,  without  letting  her  know  you  have  any 
more;  then  when  she  gets  hard  up,  give  the 
necklace  —  as  if  you  had  just  received  it  from 
me  but  without  knowing  where  it  came  from; 
as  a  last  resort,  give  her  the  third  diamond. 
She  can  easily  convert  any  of  them  into  cash, 
and  if  she  wants  to  keep  her  money  in  this  form, 
it  would  be  convenient.  Whenever  you  give 
her  a  piece,  do  it  without  her  daughter  or  Jack 
knowing.  Of  course,  she'll  tell  'em.  But  that 
will  be  her  doing." 

"  Zack,  have  you  lost  your  mind?  You  are 
not  going  away !  " 

"I  am  going  away;  Minnie  refuses  to  go 
with  me,  so  I  mean  to  provide  for  her  the  best 
I  can." 

"  But  how  can  I  tell  when  she  is  hard  up?  " 

"  As   soon   as   she   turns   over   her   land   to 


172        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Minna,  you  might  give  her  the  pin  because 
she'll  be  in  a  tight  fix  then.  And  afterwards, 
just  keep  your  eyes  open." 

"  I  can't  have  such  valuable  jewels  about  — 
I'd  always  be  afraid  — " 

"  The  bank  will  keep  them  for  you ;  put  'em 
in  your  strong  box.  Here !  "  He  closed  the 
box  and  laid  it  upon  Gridge's  knee.  "  I  don't 
ask  your  promise.  If  I  had  to  depend  on 
promises,  I'd  be  afraid  to  undertake  it.  I 
know  you  as  I  know  myself.  And  I  can't  be 
uneasy  about  Minnie's  welfare  while  you're  pro- 
vided to  help  her.  Nobody  knows  this  but  you 
and  me.  If  the  worst  doesn't  happen  —  if  my 
wife  keeps  her  land,  and  remains  independent, 
just  retain  the  diamonds  for  —  for  say,  ten 
years,  when  I  may  or  may  not  turn  up  to  claim 
them;  if  I  don't  come  back  within  ten  years  you 
can  conclude  I'm  dead.  In  that  case,  of  course, 
you'll  turn  'em  over  to  my  wife." 

"  By  George !  Zack,  you  come  here  when 
I'm  as  happy  as  a  schoolboy,  and  you  take  all 
the  pleasant  taste  out  of  my  mouth.  There's 
no  sense  in  your  going  away.  .  .  .  Well,  I'll 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS       173 

give  you  a  receipt  for  these  things,  I  won't 
accept  'em  without  giving  a  regular  receipt  de- 
scribing 'em  in  full."  Then  his  tone  of  reluc- 
tance was  fused  with  eagerness :  "  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  even  imagine  leaving  Mrs.  Flood 
after  all  these  years.  Juanita  and  I  have  been 
man  and  wife  only  a  few  days,  but  I  can  feel 
it's  for  always  —  I  know  it  would  be  as  impos- 
sible for  me  to  leave  her  at  the  end  of  half  a 
century  as  at  this  very  second.  Love  is  for 
eternity  and  you'll  be  miserable  away  from  your 
farm ;  what's  more,  your  wife  will  be  miserable 
without  you  —  why,  Zack,  how  can  she  hold  up 
her  head  after  you've  —  I  don't  like  to  say  the 
word  .  .  ." 

Zack  put  his  hands  before  his  face,  and 
Gridge,  not  understanding,  stared  at  the  motion- 
less figure  in  silence.  For  a  few  moments  the 
room  was  so  still,  nothing  could  be  heard  but 
the  gnawing  of  a  distant  mouse.  Then  the  tall 
wiry  form  quivered,  and  a  single  sob  escaped 
the  strained  throat.  It  sounded  so  helpless,  so 
at  variance  with  the  resolute  spirit  of  the  man, 
that  Gridge  felt  unreasonably  ashamed  for  hav- 


174        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

ing  heard  it,  as  if  he  had  pried  into  the  secret 
soul  of  his  friend,  producing  agony  by  his 
clumsy  touch. 

Zack  started  up,  making  a  determined  effort 
at  self-control.  "  Nobody  will  understand 
me,"  he  said,  brokenly.  "  I  knew  that.  No- 
body will  be  blamed  but  myself.  I  can  bear 
it.  God  knows  the  worst  I  suffer  is  from  fear- 
ing how  it  must  be  with  my  wife.  But  I  can't 
stay  here."  He  clenched  his  fists  unconsciously, 
and  his  blue  eyes  flashed  with  quick  light  that 
seemed  to  come  and  go  and  dart  again.  "  B. 
M.,  you're  about  my  age.  You  know  what  it 
is  to  begin  life  over  —  you're  doing  that  with 
Juanita.  Would  you  tell  me  that  my  life  has 
ended?  But,  oh,  you  can't  see  —  nobody  can  I 
It  can't  be  helped."  His  voice  grew  steady 
once  more.  "  You  understand  about  the  dia- 
monds, don't  you  ?  " 

Gridge  nodded.  "  Come  below  and  I'll 
write  out  the  receipt." 

"  Nonsense!  what  do  I  care  for  that?  Very 
well,  since  you'll  feel  better.  And,  yes,  an- 
other thing,  B.  M. :  there's  Richard  Warding 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS       175 

—  my  niece.  She  has  nothing  on  earth  except 
what  she  gets  from  us.  It  may  be  after  I'm 
gone,  she'll  come  to  hard  lines.  I  don't  want 
my  sister's  child  to  have  to  work  for  her  daily 
bread.  Look  out  for  her.  If  she's  thrown  on 
the  world  without  anything,  count  her  in  with 
my  wife,  sell  part  of  the  diamonds  and  give 
her  something  to  keep  her  on  her  feet.  You'll 
know  how  much  to  give  without  taking  too 
much  from  my  wife.  In  that  case  you'll  have 
to  convert  the  jewels  to  money  —  everything  is 
in  your  power.  Old  man  —  give  me  your 
hand." 

The  merchant  extended  his  hand  and  the 
farmer  held  it  close,  looking  fixedly  into  the  un- 
wavering eyes.  In  the  tense  silence,  good 
faith  was  not  asked,  but  taken  for  granted. 
Presently,  still  holding  his  hand,  Zack  said  with 
deep  emotion,  "  Thank  God  for  such  a  friend  1  " 

Then  they  went  downstairs,  silent  once  more, 
and  the  receipt  was  written  and  given,  still 
without  words.  There  was  another  handclasp 
at  the  store  door,  then  Zack  unfastened  his 
horse  and  rode  away  without  looking  back. 


176        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

The  merchant  watched  till  the  horseman  had 
disappeared  far  down  the  country  road  leading 
out  of  Pendleton. 

As  Zack  rode  across  the  pasture  toward  his 
yard,  he  turned  aside  on  catching  sight  of  the 
flutter  of  a  dress  down  by  the  branch.  It  was 
Richard,  slowly  walking  in  the  shade  of  the 
trees,  her  eyes  on  the  ever-changing  lights  and 
shades  of  the  stream.  The  news  of  the  secret 
marriage  had  been  spread  abroad.  An  account 
of  it  under  the  title  "  Muffled  Marriage  Bells  " 
had  appeared  in  the  county  paper  written  with 
a  lightness  of  touch  to  insure  the  future  good 
will  of  the  "  high  contracting  parties."  This 
Richard  knew,  but  as  yet  she  had  had  no  inti- 
mation of  her  uncle's  purpose.  So  grave  and 
quiet  had  been  his  demeanor  since  the  annual 
picnic  that  she  was  unable  to  decide  whether  or 
not  he  had  taken  the  marriage  as  a  severe  blow; 
and  but  for  the  fact  that  he  no  longer  joked 
and  laughed  according  to  his  daily  wont,  she 
might  have  thought  him  altogether  unmoved. 
Certainly  he  was  as  different  as  possible  from 
any  outraged  father  that  might  have  filled  a 


THE  THREE  DIAMONDS        177 

noisy  part  in  one  of  her  impetuously-wrought 
stories. 

Zack  checked  his  horse  at  her  side.  "  Are 
you  happy,  my  dear?  "  he  asked,  as  he  thought- 
fully stroked  the  animal's  arching  neck. 

Richard  smiled  up  at  him.  "  The  world  is 
so  beautiful,"  she  said. 

He  stared  out  over  the  farm  that  seemed  a 
part  of  his  very  spirit.  Meadow,  pasture, 
field,  pond,  grove,  stream,  ravine,  sloping  hill- 
side and  soft-curving  hollow  —  beautiful  in- 
deed, scenes  of  his  young  love,  his  proud  father- 
hood! 

He  found  himself  unable  to  speak  of  it,  the 
mere  thought  was  too  vast,  too  profound. 
"  Alfred  Montgomery  has  gone  off  to  law-col- 
lege," he  said,  aimlessly.  "  Fine  fellow.  I'd 
trust  Alf  with  my  very  life.  You  like  him, 
don't  you,  dear?  " 

Her  face  burned  as  she  turned  aside  her 
head,  but  he  was  unheeding.  "Oh  —  yesf" 

"  I'm  glad  you  are  friends.  People  need  all 
the  friends  they  can  accumulate  on  their  way 
through  this  neck  of  the  woods  —  meaning 


178        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Life,  Richard."  He  smiled  wistfully.  "  Well, 
I  must  go  on  to  the  house.  But  I  wanted  to 
tell  you  — "  He  stopped  perplexed  by  the  dif- 
ficulty of  making  her  understand. 

She  turned  toward  him,  trustfully. 

"  If  you're  ever  in  need,  dear,  when  I'm  not 
at  hand  to  help  you,  don't  think  I  ran  away 
without  making  some  provision  for  your  wel- 
fare. You'll  understand,  later  on,  what  I'm 
talking  about.  Don't  ever  imagine  you  were 
forgotten.  I've  talked  this  all  over  with  a  man 
I  know  I  can  trust  as  I  trust  myself;  I've  placed 
the  means  in  his  hands  to  be  turned  over  to  you 
in  case  you're  ever  in  want."  He  paused,  while 
she  looked  at  him  in  wondering  silence,  her 
eyes  opened  wide. 

He  wanted  to  tell  her  that  he  had  provided 
in  like  manner  for  his  wife.  He  was  withheld 
by  the  conviction  that  if  she  knew  of  any  treas- 
ure in  reserve,  she  would  feel  an  immediate 
need  of  it.  With  a  deep  sigh,  he  turned  the 
horse  sharply,  and  rode  away. 

"  He  must  have  meant  Alfred,"  thought 
Richard. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   DIAMOND   BUTTERFLY 

RICHARD'S  confession  of  love  had 
at    first    only    dazed    Alfred    Mont- 
gomery; but  as  time  passed,  he  be- 
came   conscious    of   a    decided    change    in   his 
mental  attitude  toward  both  her  and  himself. 
If  he  had  not  then  been  hopelessly  in  love  with 
Minna   Flood,   his   feeling  for  Richard  might 
have  taken  the  course  of  tender  regret  or  even 
tender  liking.     With    all   his   heart   given   to 
Minna,  nothing  was  left  Richard  but  the  sur- 
prise of  a  disconcerted  mind,  and  the  uneasiness 
of  emotions  unable  to  respond  to  sudden  de- 
•    mand.     To  be  sure,  Richard,  in  declaring  her- 
self, had  made  it  plain  that  she  expected  no 
return,  her  kiss  was  given  on  the  understanding 
that  he  was  going  away  "  forever  " —  that  is 
to  say,  for  a  year;  but  whatever  she  expected, 
the  fact  remained  that  there  was  a  void  in  her 
179 


180        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

heart  —  an  acknowledged  void  —  which  could 
only  be  filled  by  him,  yet  which  he  could  not  fill. 

Being  thus  pushed  to  the  wall  by  the  convic- 
tion that  he  could  never  meet  conditions,  Alfred 
felt  aggrieved,  even  hurt,  as  if  he  had  been 
thrown  in  the  wrong.  His  love  for  Minna 
died  so  sudden,  so  violent  a  death  —  the  dis- 
covery that  she  was  married  to  Jack  Palmer  at 
the  very  time  he  was  pouring  out  his  soul  to 
her  proved  the  mortal  blow  —  that  if  Rich- 
ard's confession  had  come  later,  everything 
might  have  been  different.  As  it  was,  although 
amazedly  aware  of  the  fact  that  Minna  (Mrs. 
Palmer!)  was  no  more  to  him  than  any  other 
woman,  she  seemed,  like  a  cold  ghost,  always 
standing  between  him  and  Richard. 

Richard  was  just  a  girl,  anyway  —  a  mere 
child.  She  had  a  way  of  looking  you  in  the 
eye  as  if  she  would  always  mean  what  she 
meant  to-day  —  she  would  perhaps  go  on  lov- 
ing him  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  That  was 
the  trouble.  And  he  felt  she  was  not  the  sort 
of  woman  he  could  ever  love.  It  had  been 
a  great  relief  to  confide  in  her  all  his  fears  and 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     181 

hopes  —  she  was  born  to  be  told  about  one's 
love  for  somebody  else  —  but  suddenly  to  force 
herself  forward  as  a  principal  in  the  play  was 
as  if  the  Chorus  should  mutiny  and  capture  the 
entire  stage.  She  was  not  only  a  child,  but  a 
dreamer,  a  writer  about  other  folk.  It  was 
too  bad  that  she  should  decide  to  be  a  real  per- 
son. 

Under  the  circumstances,  Alfred  thought  it 
best  not  to  spend  the  next  year's  vacation  at 
home.  There  is  nothing  so  good  for  disap- 
pointed love  as  starving  the  eye,  and  he  was 
determined  that  Richard's  cure  should  be  com- 
plete —  accordingly  he  spent  all  summer  in 
the  Ozarks  hoping  he  was  doing  the  little  girl 
good  by  his  absence,  and  certain  he  was  improv- 
ing his  health  by  months  spent  under  the  open 
sky.  As  his  skin  bronzed  under  the  glowing 
sun  and  his  muscles  toughened  in  fishing  and 
long  walking  expeditions,  there  was  a  corre- 
sponding strengthening  of  the  soul-ligaments  — 
a  gain  in  confidence  verging  toward  assurance. 
He  owed  this  spirit  of  potential  conquest  to 
Richard.  However  he  might  shrink  from  her, 


182        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

she  had  taught  him  to  be  much  better  pleased 
with  himself;  he  could  be  loved. 

Between  Alfred  and  his  step-mother  existed 
a  friendship  most  delicately  poised.  While  it 
stood,  it  was  perfect,  and  in  order  for  it  to 
stand,  he  took  the  greatest  care  to  stop  up  all 
crevices  before  she  discovered  them.  Mrs. 
Montgomery,  the  Second,  was  so  anxious  for  her 
husband's  son  to  like  her,  that  she  was  always 
afraid  he  wouldn't,  while  he,  eager  to  show  the 
sincerity  of  his  regard  went  three  miles  out  of 
his  way  when  she  required  only  one.  That  is 
why  she  learned  about  Richard. 

That  Alfred  should  stay  away  from  the  farm 
an  entire  summer,  thus  making  his  absence  last 
two  years,  was  so  unheard-of,  nothing  but  the 
clearest  explanation  could  satisfy  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery. To  talk  about  health  down  in  the 
Ozarks  was  absurd  —  wasn't  there  plenty  of 
health  on  the  Pendleton  acres?  Wasn't  it  that 
Alfred  had  learned  at  the  university  to  dis- 
credit his  humble  neighbors,  his  hard-working 
father,  his  sensitive  step-mother?  Hadn't  his 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     183 

education  struck  in,  to  destroy  the  simplicity  of 
boyhood's  content? 

Alfred,  knowing  how  these  suspicions  would 
arise  and  flourish,  determined  to  nip  them  in  tHe 
bud.  Under  conditions  of  inviolable  secrecy 

—  the  letter  must  be  burned  the  instant  it  was 
read  —  he  wrote  to  his  step-mother:     Richard 
was  in  love  with  him  —  had  told  him  so  —  was 
a  girl  of  fixed  ideas,  and  would  not  easily  ban- 
ish this  romantic  attachment  —  it  was  best  for 
him  to  wait  another  year  before  seeing  her  — 
by  that  time  she  would  doubtless  be  healed  of 
her  malady. 

In  a  way,  it  hurt  Alfred  to  write  this  letter 

—  the  face  of  Richard  seemed  looking  its  re- 
proach from  the  shadows  beyond  his  desk,  and 
in  those  great  dark  eyes  he  discovered  some- 
thing that  made  him  feel  half  ashamed.     But 
the  temptation  to  tell  the  truth  was  simply  irre- 
sistible.    Everybody    knew    he    had    courted 
Minna  and  had  been  rejected;  that  was  as  much 
a  matter  of  history  in  Pendleton  as  if  he  had 
proposed  to  her  at  the  opera-house  in  the  full 


1 84        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

glare  of  the  footlights.  Naturally  it  would 
be  concluded  that  his  staying  away  was  because 
of  a  broken  heart  —  he  wanted  his  step-mother 
to  know  different,  and  he  knew  she  would  appre- 
ciate the  compliment  of  his  confidence.  He 
even  believed  that  she  would  keep  the  secret. 
And  besides,  she  would  know  that  somebody 
could  love  him.  It  seemed  to  make  him  larger, 
the  writing  of  that  letter. 

Mrs.  Montgomery  faithfully  burned  the 
epistle,  not  even  showing  it  to  her  husband. 
As  to  repeating  its  contents,  she  was  incapable 
of  such  bad  faith.  Of  course  she  told  Juanita 
Gridge,  but  that  was  because  she  knew  she 
could  trust  Juanita.  She  could  not  let  Juanita 
imagine  that  Alfred  was  staying  away  from 
home  on  account  of  Minna.  Juanita  under- 
stood Minna  so  well  —  she  would  be  glad  to 
know  that  not  every  man  in  the  county  was  a 
fool  about  her!  Alfred  didn't  care  that  for 
Minna;  the  secret  marriage  had  cured  him  in 
a  day  —  but  you  see,  poor  little  Richard  .  .  . 

Juanita  saw;  and  the  clearer  she  saw,  the 
more  impossible  it  was  for  her  to  keep  silent 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     185 

when  rumor  spread  abroad  that  Alfred,  still 
hopelessly  in  love  with  his  old  sweetheart,  had 
not  the  heart  to  risk  meeting  her  again.  Min- 
na's designs  upon  Jack  Palmer  had  proved 
successful,  but  just  as  Mrs.  Montgomery  had 
said,  it  did  not  follow  that  every  man  was  a 
fool.  Juanita  certainly  hoped  Jack  had  never 
regretted  his  choice,  though  sometimes  she 
feared  it,  and  now  that  she  was  so  happy  in 
B.  M.  Gridge  and  his  station  and  fortune,  she 
would  like  to  have  known  if  Jack  were  really 
happy  with  Minna.  But  there  was  no  use  for 
people  to  imagine  that  Alfred  was  pining  away 
for  Minna,  as  if  she  were  some  enchantress 
blighting  every  life  that  came  in  her  way.  The 
fact  was,  Alfred  had  learned  that  —  but  you 
would  never  guess!  .  .  . 

When  Alfred  came  home,  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  he  was  greatly  changed  —  no  longer 
awkward  or  cadaverous,  no  longer  shrinking  or 
setting  too  low  an  estimate  on  his  abilities,  he 
exhibited  a  serenity,  a  quiet  mastery  of  himself 
—  was  more  manly  in  every  way.  Already  he 
saw  his  way  clear  to  cheating  the  clammy  clutch 


1 86        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

of  constitutional  ill-health.  The  knowledge 
that  he  had  been  loved,  might  be  loved  again, 
had  put  firm  ground  under  his  long,  thin  legs. 
Moreover  his  university  life  impressed  him  with 
the  general  inferiority  of  Pendleton  society  — 
gave  him  such  a  satisfactory  estimate  of  his 
own  qualities  that  he  was  happy  to  the  point 
of  breaking  out  in  song.  All  his  life  he  had 
been  a  slave  to  the  Minna-ideal,  but  now,  in 
perfect  freedom,  he  was  anxious  to  encounter 
Minna  in  the  flesh  to  discover,  if  possible,  why 
he  had  ever  loved  her..  He  had  bowed  down 
to  an  image  made  by  his  own  hands;  since  that 
had  been  hurled  in  the  dust,  he  might  find  out 
what  the  real  Minna  was  like. 

As  soon  as  Alfred  had  renewed  intimacies 
with  his  father's  farm,  duty  called  him  to  visit 
his  old  friends.  Above  all,  there  was  Richard 
—  she  would  expect  him,  alas  I  with  too  tender 
an  interest,  he  feared.  However  that  might 
be,  he  must  go;  but  one  thing  was  certain,  he 
would  not  risk  seeing  her  alone.  At  the  store 
he  spoke  of  it  to  B.  M.  Gridge,  his  father's 
intimate  friend. 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     187 

"  I  must  go  out  to  the  Flood  farm  .  .  .  but 
I  don't  like  to  go  there  by  myself  .  .  .  the  ride 
is  too  lonesome  .  .  .  and  besides  .  .  ." 

"  I'm  going,  this  evening,"  said  the  merchant. 
"  Seen  Juanita,  yet?  " 

"  No." 

"  Suppose  you  go  up  to  the  house  and  see 
her;  I'll  be  there  in  about  half  an  hour  with 
the  buggy  and  we'll  drive  out  to  Palmers' —  you 
see,  we  don't  call  it  the  Flood  farm  any  more." 

"  Has  Mr.  Zack  Flood  been  heard  from 
since  he  disappeared?" 

Gridge  hesitated.  "  The  fact  is,  I'm  going 
out  to  the  farm  this  afternoon  on  Zack's  ac- 
count. He  has  something  for  me  to  give  his 
wife  —  it's  a  very  handsome  diamond  —  a  but- 
terfly pin,  easily  worth  a  thousand  dollars." 

Alfred  was  astonished.  "  Do  you  mean  he 
has  sent  this  to  you?  " 

"  Fact  is,  I'm  not  at  liberty  to  explain  just 
how  I  got  it.  Anyway,  I  don't  know  where 
Zack  is,  he  hasn't  revealed  that." 

"  It  shows,  at  least,  that  he's  still  alive  — 
and  cares  for  his  wife." 


1 88        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

The  other  did  not  answer.  It  would  com- 
fort Mrs.  Flood  to  think  so,  and  after  all,  it 
might  be  true. 

"  You  are  looking  well,"  Alfred  declared, 
wondering  for  the  thousandth  time  how  dainty 
little  Juanita  could  have  fallen  in  love  with 
him  so  suddenly,  and  telling  himself,  as  he  had 
often  done,  that  if  it  hadn't  been  suddenly,  it 
could  never  have  been.  Gridge  had  grown 
redder  of  face  and  louder  of  breathing,  and  he 
filled  up  so  much  room,  his  boots  creaked  so 
maddeningly!  Alfred  gazed  in  mute  admira- 
tion; it  was  like  taking  a  study  in  Hope  to 
look  at  him.  If  Juanita  could  love  a  man  so 
suggestive  of  beef  and  newspapers,  what  might 
not  happen? 

"  Well !  "  echoed  Gridge,  going  with  him  to 
the  door  but  keeping  an  eye  on  a  clerk  who  had 
half  a  mind  to  sit  down,  "  why,  I'm  as  spry  as 
a  boyl  I'll  never  be  old,  for  it's  all  as  you 
have  a  mind  about  it,  and  I'm  as  strong  as  an 
ox.  I  credit  most  of  it  to  my  physical  exer- 
cises —  always  stand  on  one  foot  of  a  morning 
as  I  draw  my  sock  on  the  other,  and  take  a 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     189 

turn  about  the  room  walking  on  my  hands,  lim- 
bering up.  Ah,  my  boy,  get  married  if  you 
want  to  see  life  double.  Don't  wait  as  long 
as  I  did,  unless  you've  the  prospect  of  nabbing 
such  a  high  stepper  as  the  woman  I  got.  She 
was  worth  waiting  for  —  never  were  two  peo- 
ple of  the  same  mind  brought  together  like  us 
—  what  she  wants  I  want,  and  what  I  want 
she  puts  up  with  .  .  .  and  she's  the  prettiest 
woman  in  Pendleton.  You  just  go  out  there 
and  see  if  she  isn't.  She's  all  for  society  and 
I'm  all  for  business,  and  we  keep  out  of  each 
other's  sphere.  As  long  as  I  can  make  the 
money  to  keep  her  going,  the  clock  strikes  reg- 
ular. I'm  in  pretty  deep  right  now,  because 
I've  laid  out  to  build  her  the  finest  residence 
in  Pendleton,  but  I'll  get  on  my  feet  again 
when  the  holiday  trade  comes  in." 

If  Alfred  had  expected  to  see  Juanita  more 
or  less  coarsened  by  association  with  B.  M. 
Gridge,  he  was  agreeably  surprised.  He  found 
her  dressed  to  entertain  the  Ladies'  Card  Club 
of  Pendleton  whose  hour  was  almost  at  hand, 
and  the  effect  of  her  dainty  white  dress,  her 


190        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

little  white  slippers  and  her  skin-colored 
stockings  which  a  providential  fashion  revealed 
in  generous  perspective,  soothed  him  as  with 
a  cool  touch.  She  had  all  the  archness,  the 
gaiety,  the  solemn  airs  of  two  years  ago  which 
her  diminutive  form  rendered  charmingly  amus- 
ing. Alfred  made  an  effort  to  picture  her 
perched  upon  the  edge  of  her  bed,  or  looking 
from  snowy  pillows  while  B.  M.  Gridge  stood 
on  one  foot  to  draw  on  the  other  sock  —  but 
it  was  impossible.  Looking  at  Juanita,  he 
could  not  see  her  husband. 

"  You  are  not  at  all  interrupting  my  plans," 
she  assured  him.  "  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
wait  for  the  ladies,  and  there's  always  time 
for  an  old  friend."  She  found  him  wonderfully 
improved,  but  like  everybody  else,  she  consid- 
ered him  the  same  Alfred  Montgomery  who 
had  always  depreciated  himself.  Having  been 
taken  at  his  own  original  valuation,  he  would 
never  be  marked  higher  in  the  popular  estima- 
tion of  that  community.  Fortunately  Alfred's 
new-fledged  self-respect  was  strong  enough  to 
soar  alone.  The  very  fact  that  Juanita  never 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     191 

once  troubled  herself  to  find  out  how  far  the 
rocking  chair  had  separated  her  skirt-ruffles 
from  her  feet,  showed  that  Alfred  "  didn't  mat- 
ter." During  the  conversation,  he  received  the 
impression  that  B.  M.  Gridge  "  mattered  "  as 
little.  Jack  Palmer  was  a  sort  of  home  base 
from  which  most  of  her  thoughts  described  cir- 
cles. As  she  showed  no  embarrassment  in 
speaking  of  him,  his  farm,  his  wife,  his  plans 
—  she  knew  all  his  plans  —  of  course  it  was  all 
right.  Two  years  with  B.  M.  Gridge  should 
have  safely  insulated  her  from  any  current  of 
electrical  disturbance.  Alfred  was  far  enough 
away  from  his  infatuation  for  Minna  to  under- 
stand how  very  dead  a  dead  love  may  be. 
Still,  Jack  had  been  engaged  to  Juanita,  and 
there  seemed  a  little  —  just  a  little  —  too  much 
Jack  in  the  whole  conversation. 

"  Jack's  going  to  move  to  town  as  soon  as 
his  house  is  built,"  she  said,  gazing  out  the 
window.  "  He's  bought  the  lot  next  ours  on 
the  only  street  in  Pendleton  —  it'll  be  a  race 
between  him  and  Mr.  Gridge,  whose  house'll 
be  built  first.  Jack  is  to  build  a  very  expensive 


i92        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

mansion.  I  don't  think  ours  will  make  a  bad 
showing,  however,"  she  smiled. 

Alfred,  following  the  direction  of  her  eyes, 
admired  the  distant  woods  and  pasturelands 
where,  at  the  annual  picnic,  he  had  parted  from 
Minna  with  heart  so  sad.  Now  that  he  cared 
nothing  for  Minna,  he  felt  a  sentimental  at- 
tachment for  the  scene  of  their  parting.  He 
waved  at  the  lovely  view: 

"Won't  it  hurt  you  to  leave  all  this?" 

Juanita  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  It's  too 
much  like  the  horrid  country,"  she  explained, 
"  and  in  winter,  it's  fearfully  dismal.  Jack 
Palmer  says  he  can't  stand  his  farm  any  longer 
—  it's  sold  —  he  sold  his  half  and  Mrs.  Flood 
sold  hers  so  it  could  all  go  together.  Society 
will  be  pretty  lively  next  season,  I  imagine." 

"Will  Mrs.  Flood  enjoy  living  in  town? 
She  has  always  lived  out  there  — " 

"  Oh,  she  likes  it  wherever  Minna  is,  she's 
so  blindly  wrapped  up  in  her  daughter.  But 
of  course  it  won't  suit  her  —  I  don't  know 
what  they  will  do  with  Mrs.  Flood,  she  has 
headaches  or  something  and  is  so  uncertain  in 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     193 

company  —  people  and  things  remind  her  of 
her  husband  and  it  keeps  her  from  being  cheer- 
ful. It's  not  very  amusing,  you  know,  when 
everybody  else  is  disposed  to  gaiety.  Of  course 
one  can't  exactly  blame  her  for  being  droopy, 
but  we  feel  that  she  might  do  like  Richard." 

Alfred  felt  uncomfortable  at  the  name  just 
as  he  always  did  at  the  thought  of  the  one  who 
loved  him, —  uncomfortable,  yet  inquiring. 
"Richard?"  he  repeated;  "and  how  does 
she  do?" 

"  Lives  in  the  back  rooms  —  refuses  to  see 
anybody  —  hides.  Never  goes  anywhere,  or 
comes  into  the  parlor,  and  that  sort  of  thing. 
She  says  she's  an  author  but  there  hasn't  been  a 
book.  Her  uncle  must  have  been  crazy  to  go 
away  as  he  did,  and  I  guess  she's  got  something 
the  matter  with  her  mind  to  keep  her  shut  up 
that  way  —  a  sort  of  family  strain.  Now,  why 
can't  Mrs.  Flood  imitate  her?  She  could  have 
her  nice  quiet  rooms  at  the  back  of  the  house 
with  her  books  and  embroidery  and  her  nice 
view  from  the  windows  and  all  that  .  .  .  but 
no!  She  has  the  notion  that  Minna  wants  her 


i94        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

to  be  present  at  her  dances  and  card-parties, 
and  present  she  is,  a  perfect  martyr,  trying  to 
look  pleased,  but  on  the  verge  of  tears  half  the 
time. —  Of  course  Minna  can't  tell  her  that  she 
oughtn't  to  distress  herself  that  way  —  Jack 
*  feels  so  sorry  about  it.  As  long  as  Mrs.  Flood 
can't  forget  how  her  husband's  done,  she  ought 
to  keep  retired,  don't  you  know?  Minna  fills 
the  house  with  young  people  that  her  mother 
couldn't  understand,  and  if  she'd  keep  out  of 
their  way  it  would  be  perfectly  all  right.  Well, 
it's  pretty  hard  on  Jack  —  and  Minna  —  out 
there;  but  when  they  have  their  town  house, 
goodness  knows  what  they  will  do !  " 

When  Alfred  was  being  driven  out  of  town, 
he  said  to  B.  M.  Gridge,  "  Mrs.  Gridge  tells 
me  that  Richard  is  —  er  — " 

u  That's  right,"  observed  the  merchant, 
"  just  about  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  county." 

Alfred  opened  his  eyes.     "Who?" 

"Didn't  you  say  Richard?" 

"  Yes,  but  I  was  only  going  to  say.  .  .  . 
Look  here,  B.  M.,  what  do  you  mean?  Rich- 
ard is  the  last  girl  to  set  up  for  good  looks  — 


THE  DIAMOND  BUTTERFLY     195 

dark  and  thin  and  bony  and  wide-eyed.  .  .  . 
Mighty  fine  girl,  and  bright  as  you  please,  but 
pretty?  Why,  that  little  girl  is  absolutely 
plain,  yes,  and  I  might  use  a  harder  word  than 
that." 

"  Richard's  no  little  girl,"  retorted  Gridge, 
amused.  "  And  she's  not  thin,  or  bony.  You 
must  remember  she's  eighteen  years  old;  she 
was  a  sort  of  spindling  bud  the  last  time  you 
saw  her,  but  let  me  tell  you,  she's  bloomed 
since  then.  She's  prettier  than  ever  Minna 
was,  for  there's  more  sense  in  her  good  looks. 
Minna  wasn't  anything  but  pretty.  That  was 
all  she  could  do." 

Alfred  laughed.  "  Either  you  are  blind,  or 
there's  been  a  miracle  on  the  Flood  farm.  But 
we  can  soon  settle  the  question." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  you  can  or  not.  It's 
not  easy  to  see  Richard." 

"  She'll  see  me."  It  was  impossible  to  re- 
strain that  boastful  word. 

"  Maybe  so.  But  it's  not  her  custom.  She 
just  ups  and  says  she  won't  come  down,  even 
when  she's  asked  for,  and  that's  not  often. 


196        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

And  it  sorter  suits  Minna,  I  do  believe.  Minna 
isn't  as  good  looking,  somehow,  when  Richard 
comes  in  the  room." 

Alfred  began  to  find  himself  strangely  in- 
terested. "  Of  course  it's  been  a  long  time 
since  I  saw  her — and  it  seems  impossible  — 
but  she  was  a  very  bright  girl  and  a  good  friend 
of  mine.  I'll  have  to  scold  her  for  avoiding 
society;  that  isn't  right.  And  if  she's  as  pretty 
as  you  think,  why  should  she  bury  herself?  I 
don't  like  that."  He  was  a  trifle  indignant. 

Gridge  laughed.  "Going  to  scold  her,  eh? 
Well,  here's  the  Palmers'  farm  —  do  you  know, 
it's  just  been  sold,  the  last  foot  of  it?  Yes! 
Biggest  piece  of  news  this  year!  —  Going  to 
scold  Richard?  Come,  that's  mighty  funny  to 
me.  If  you  lay  eyes  on  her  this  summer,  con- 
sider yourself  lucky  I  " 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY 

IN  spite  of  his  eagerness  to  see  Richard 
—  that  he  might  scold  her  —  Alfred 
thought  it  best  to  stay  in  the  buggy  until 
B.  M.  Gridge  should  have  delivered  the  dia- 
mond ornament;  to  this  proposal,  however,  the 
merchant  decidedly  objected.  He  was  as  anx- 
ious to  have  some  one  at  hand  during  the  pres- 
entation, as  had  been  Alfred  to  have  a  spectator 
during  his  expected  meeting  with  his  old  friend. 
Mrs.  Flood  would  naturally  ask  many  questions 
which  Gridge  would  be  unable  to  answer  and, 
altogether,  he  faced  the  situation  with  deep  un- 
easiness. 

They  found  Mrs.  Flood  alone.     Minna  had 

gone  to  the  Ladies'  Card  Club  meeting  at  Jua- 

nita  Gridge's,  and  Jack  was  in  the  city.     She  was 

so  sorry  Minna  was  not  at  home  —  of  course 

197 


198         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

she  supposed  Alfred  had  come  solely  to  see  the 
one  for  whom  his  heart  was  broken.  There 
was  a  tenderness,  a  motherly  caress  in  her  tone, 
her  look,  as  she  enfolded  him  in  affectionate 
regard.  Any  one  who  appreciated  Minna  had 
the  secret  clew  to  her  heart  —  and  this  fine, 
tall  young  man  with  his  grave  air  that  gave  dis- 
tinction, with  his  direct  look  that  spoke  an  open 
soul  —  it  seemed  a  pity  that  his  life  should  be 
ruined;  but  of  course  he  couldn't  help  loving  her 
daughter,  for  everybody  loved  her.  His  heart 
would  never  be  healed.  Mrs.  Flood  would 
have  thought  less  of  it  were  it  otherwise,  but 
she  would  do  all  she  could  to  console. 

Alfred  found  her  greatly  changed.  It  was 
not  so  much  that  her  hair  was  fast  turning 
gray,  or  that  her  form  was  thin,  her  face  pallid, 
but  rather  that  her  movements  indicated  the 
consciousness  of  age.  She  had  evidently  ac- 
cepted her  daughter's  opinion  that  she  belonged 
to  the  past,  and  in  the  past  she  lived.  She 
talked  about  Minna  most  of  the  time,  and  it 
was  only  in  those  little  pauses  that  come  when 
thoughts  fail  to  overlap,  that  the  deep  sadness 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  199 

of  her  eyes  looked  forth;  sometimes,  a  trivial 
word  would  provoke  unshed  tears. 

Thus,  when  Alfred,  with  a  smile  told  how 
he  had  surprised  his  father  after  his  two  years' 
absence,  how  his  father  had  seen  him  coming 
across  the  meadow  and  had  started  toward  him 
on  the  run  with  a  shout  that  made  the  pigs 
seek  their  troughs  and  the  cows  start  toward 
the  back  lot : 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Flood,  suddenly 
bowing  her  head  in  her  hands. 

She  was  so  fragile,  so  helpless,  so  pitiful, 
Alfred  could  have  put  his  arms  about  her  neck 
to  implore  her  be  of  good  courage,  just  as 
she  could  have  laid  her  transparent  hand  upon 
his  head  to  beg  him  not  grieve  too  much.  She 
would  never  have  let  him  see  the  tears  in  her 
mournful  eyes,  had  she  known  him  emancipated 
from  Minna's  tyranny.  Deceived,  she  opened 
to  him  her  heart  of  hearts  — "  My  sorrow,  also, 
is  lifelong,"  she  seemed  to  say. 

B.  M.  Gridge  produced  the  diamond  butter- 
fly. No  one  could  possibly  have  done  the  thing 
worse.  With  his  blundering  clumsiness,  his 


200        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

desperate  effort  to  tell  no  more  than  should  be 
told,  he  made  a  sort  of  rampart  for  the  conceal- 
ment of  Mrs.  Flood's  emotion.  By  the  time 
he  had  ended  explaining  that  there  was  noth- 
ing to  explain,  she  had  back  her  pensive  air  of 
submission  to  destiny. 

In  truth  she  could  not  exult  in  this  proof  of 
her  husband's  thoughtfulness.  Why  should  he 
send  diamond  butterflies  to  her,  and  not  one 
word  of  forgiveness  to  their  only  child?  It 
was  poor  Minna  who  needed  assurance  of  his 
love,  not  she  who  never  doubted  it,  even  despite 
his  cruel  absence.  Wherever  he  was,  she  could 
not  think  him  changed  to  her,  but  poor  Minna 
often  said  that  her  father  no  longer  loved  her. 
Mrs.  Flood  held  the  gem  somewhat  shrinkingly, 
as  if  her  tired  eyes  were  not  equal  to  its 
radiance.  Already  she  saw  that  pin  sparkling 
on  Minna's  bosom.  And  why  not?  She  had 
no  use  for  ornaments  —  diamonds  are  for  the 
young,  and  the  gift  would  bring  to  Minna's 
eyes  the  love  always  in  her  heart,  though  some- 
times fast  asleep.  Once  more  in  life,  Minna 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  201 

would  be  given  something  from  both  father 
and  mother. 

It  was  strange  to  see  the  tears  slipping  down 
those  thin  cheeks  while  not  the  quiver  of  a  mus- 
cle hinted  at  weeping.  Gridge  felt  a  fierce 
desire  to  lay  hands  on  Zack  Flood  —  his  greet- 
ings would  have  been  very  far  from  affection- 
ate, could  they  have  met. 

As  yet,  not  a  word  had  been  said  about  Rich- 
ard; Alfred  now  asked  to  see  her.  Change  of 
ideas  brought  relief  to  all  three. 

"  Didn't  Mr.  Gridge  tell  ...  ? "  Mrs. 
Flood  shook  her  head  with  gentle  regret. 

"  But  I'm  sure  she'll  see  me,"  Alfred  said, 
confidently.  "  If  you  will  tell  her  who  it  is  — 
and  how  much  I'd  like  to  renew  our  acquaint- 
ance." 

Mrs.  Flood  departed  on  her  mission,  not 
hopefully. 

Gridge  rose. 

"  I'm  not  going  yet,"  Alfred  explained,  de- 
cidedly. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  are,"  his  friend  returned  with 


202        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

a  good-natured  grin.  "  We've  imposed  on 
Mrs.  Flood  long  enough  —  she'd  like  to  be 
alone  to  think  over  what's  happened." 

"  I'm  going  to  have  a  talk  with  Richard." 

Mrs.  Flood  returned.  "  She  asks  to  be  ex- 
cused." 

Alfred  suddenly  grew  uncomfortably  red. 
"  Mrs.  Flood,  it's  not  right  for  a  young  girl 
like  Richard  to  make  a  hermit  of  herself.  I 
shall  tell  her  so,  and  I'll  find  the  opportunity  1  " 

When  outside,  he  added  to  Gridge,  "  Guess  a 
letter'll  get  to  her!  "  The  day  before,  he  had 
been  afraid  he  would  have  to  meet  Richard, 
now  he  feared  the  meeting  might  not  take  place. 
That  he  had  been  told  of  her  marvelously 
developed  beauty  could  have  nothing  to  do  with 
his  desire,  though  if  she  were  really  pretty,  he'd 
like  to  know  it;  but  he  meant  to  act  for  her 
good  —  he  must  rescue  her  from  such  un- 
heard-of morbidity.  Duty  urged  him  to  push 
Richard  out  among  her  fellowmen,  and  he  did 
not  mean  to  falter  in  this  self-imposed  obliga- 
tion. 

However,  his  letter  must  not  command. 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  203 

He  wrote,  asking  permission  to  call  on  her 
the  following  Friday  evening. 

"  MY  DEAR  MR.  MONTGOMERY,"  was  her 
reply,  "  I  have  a  very  pressing  engagement  for 
Friday  evening  that  will  prevent  the  renewing 
of  our  acquaintance.  Please  accept  my  best 
wishes  for  a  happy  summer  at  home.  You  are 
so  far  behind  in  the  pleasures  of  Pendleton 
life,  it  must  crowd  your  days  to  catch  up,  and 
the  months  will  be  gone  before  you  know  it. 
I  hope  everything  will  conspire  to  make  it  a 
vacation  long  to  be  remembered.  You  ex- 
press uneasiness  lest  my  health  may  not  be  so 
good  as  when  I  last  saw  you,  and  first  I  must 
thank  you  for  so  friendly  an  interest,  then  as- 
sure you  that  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life. 
Yes,  it  is  too  bad  that  I  could  not  see  you  the 
day  of  your  visit  at  the  house,  but  I  dare  not 
invite  you  to  try  some  other  day  lest  I  should 
be  obliged  to  send  down  my  excuses.  If  we 
should  not  meet  this  summer,  be  assured  that 
you  will  carry  back  to  the  university  my  heart- 
iest wishes  for  your  success." 


204        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

At  least,  it  was  with  a  friendly  smile  that  she 
closed  the  door  in  his  face.  Alfred  knocked 
again,  and  somewhat  louder.  The  result — - 
her  second  note: 

"Mv  DEAR  MR.  MONTGOMERY:  I  have 
just  taken  your  letter  from  our  box,  and  have 
stopped  at  the  Spring  to  answer  it  —  that  ex- 
plains, and  I  hope  excuses,  the  use  of  a  lead- 
pencil.  I  know  I  should  go  up  to  the  house 
and  be  proper  with  pen  and  ink,  but  the  after- 
noon is  so  glorious  and  I  worked  so  hard  this 
morning  at  my  desk  that  I  can't  bear  to  shut 
myself  up  from  birds  and  sunshine  and  above 
all,  the  brook-murmurings.  I  feel  first-cousin 
to  Out-of-doors.  It's  so  good  of  you  to  want 
to  see  me  that  I  can't  thank  you  enough  for 
your  interest;  and  you  are  so  anxious  about  my 
welfare,  so  afraid  I  am  losing  the  best  out  of 
life  by  '  living  as  a  hermit '  that  you  would  '  do 
anything  to  change  my  habits,'  and  I  appreciate 
all  this  disinterested  kindness.  I  do  wish  I 
could  repay  it  even  in  part,  and  I  know  I  must 
seem  horribly  selfish  to  accept  so  much  consid- 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  205 

eration  and  not  seem  to  give  any  in  return. 
But,  no,  I  just  can't  see  you  next  Thursday  be- 
cause on  that  day  I  have  an  engagement  that 
will  not  permit  me  to  be  '  visible.'  If  you  had 
said  Wednesday  —  but,  now  that  I  think  of  it, 
Wednesday  would  have  been  just  as  unfortu- 
nate. I  seem  placed  in  the  ridiculous  aspect  of 
an  oriental  lady  whom  it  is  impossible  to  visit 
—  if  I  were  you  I  should  simply  give  me  up,  I 
am  sure  I  deserve  it! 

"  Hoping  you  are  getting  all  out  of  your 
vacation  that  your  heart  could  desire  — 

"  Sincerely  yours, 
"  R.  W." 

"  Very  well,"  exclaimed  Alfred,  on  reading 
this  communication,  "  then  be  an  '  oriental 
lady ! '  "  And  for  two  weeks  he  made  no  sign 
to  any  one  that  he  was  aware  of  R.  W.'s  exist- 
ence. But  it  did  not  make  it  easier  for  him 
that  in  all  that  time  nobody  else  pronounced 
her  name.  He  was  always  wanting  to  hear 
something  about  her;  but  though  he  led  the  con- 
versation to  the  Flood  farm,  though  he  dis- 


2o6        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

i 

cussed  the  approaching  removal  of  the  family 
—  they  would  have  to  board  in  town  until  Jack 
Palmer's  mansion  was  built  —  nobody  thought 
of  Richard.  Even  his  step-mother's  mind 
seemed  a  blank  in  her  direction. 

One  night,  at  a  party  given  by  the  Gridges, 
he  suddenly  exploded  from  his  long  silence  — 
he  was  seated  on  a  divan  with  Minna,  and  for 
some  time  had  been  slightly  bewildered  by  the 
flatness  of  "  old  times  "  as  she  served  them  up 
from  memory;  he  had  the  heartiest  good-will 
to  relish  those  morsels  from  the  past,  but  alas  1 
the  sauce  of  sentiment  was  not  there,  and  every 
"  Do  you  remember  .  .  .?  "  seemed  cooked  in 
the  same  dish. 

He  asked,  with  ill-smothered  resentment, 
"  What  are  all  those  engagements  that  keep 
Richard  from  ever  seeing  a  fellow?  " 

Minna  laughed  gaily.  "  Engagements !  " 
Evidently  there  were  none. 

"But  I  want  to  see  her!"  Alfred  cried. 
"  And  I  want  to  see  her  all  the  more  because 
she  keeps  putting  me  off." 

"  Oh"!     You  want  to  see  her?  "     Minna  was 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY          207 

charmingly  grave.  Alfred  found  her  charac- 
teristics more  strongly  marked.  She  was 
prettier  than  ever,  she  was  more  difficult  in 
conversation.  He  had  the  odd  fancy  that 
sometimes  she  set  her  face  shining,  then  went 
away  and  left  it  —  like  a  lamp  in  an  empty 
room.  Perhaps  she  did  not  find  it  fitting  that, 
after  declaring  his  love  was  his  life,  he  should 
be  interested  in  any  Richards. 

"  Yes,  and  I  must  see  her  —  I'm  tantalized 
just  as  if  she  were  a  sort  of  mystery  crying  for 
solution.  She  must  have  engagements,  she  was 
so  explicit  about  them,  and  she  was  always  a 
perfectly  truthful  girl." 

Minna  smiled  because  she  was  not  listening. 
Jack,  as  big  and  handsome  as  ever,  sat  beside 
Juanita,  his  jolly  laugh  ringing  above  the  hum 
of  many  voices.  Evidently  Minna  was  over 
there  on  that  same  divan  —  right  between  her 
husband  and  Mr.  Gridge's  wife.  Juanita's 
arm  touched  his  coat  —  little  arm  so  white  and 
slender,  faintly  blushing  at  the  elbow  I  — 
Minna  looked  down  at  her  own  rounded,  ex- 
quisitely-curved whiteness  tapering  to  an  elbow 


208        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

that  could  look  anybody  in  the  face.  What 
could  Jack  see  in  that  little  creature  to  make 
his  eyes  so  bright?  That  is  what  Minna  never 
had  understood.  She  knew  Juanita  not  only 
from  her  toes  to  her  deceptive  hair,  but  all  the 
inner  parts  of  her;  and  she  knew  Jack  from  his 
love  of  a  good  dinner  and  a  peaceful  smoke,  to 
his  ecstasy  over  music  —  any  sort  of  music, 
even  to  the  marking  of  time  on  a  snare-drum. 
But  Juanita-and-Jack,  she  did  not  know.  Judg- 
ing from  their  ill-advised  engagement  and  its 
swift  breaking-off,  neither  did  they. 

"  I'm  going  to  give  a  Good-by-to-the-Farm 
Dance,"  said  Minna,  withdrawing  her  thoughts 
from  the  other  side  of  the  room.  "  You  ought 
to  have  a  chance,  then,  if  you  are  so  anxious  to 
see  Richard.  Everybody'll  be  invited,  and 
possibly  among  such  a  crowd,  she  may  conde- 
scend to  show  herself." 

Alfred  offered  excuses,  finding  her  tone 
vaguely  reproachful.  "  You  know,  Rich- 
ard and  I  were  such  good  friends,  once.  .  .  . 
I  don't  like  to  go  away  without  seeing 
her." 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  209 

"  Yes  —  it  is  thought  she  has  improved,  in 
looks." 

"  Is  she  really  pretty,  though?  " 

Minna  reflected.  "  But  I  could  never  judge 
of  that  type,"  she  finally  confessed.  "  Any- 
way, nobody  finds  fault  with  her  looks.  It's 
her  —  but  she  was  always  very  queer.  It  seems 
such  a  pity,  for  in  some  ways  she  is  really 
bright." 

As  the  result  of  this  conversation,  Alfred 
wrote  once  more  to  Richard,  and  in  reply  re- 
ceived his  third  note : 

"  No,  your  five-paged  letter  did  not  seem  at 
all  too  long,  dwelling  as  it  did  upon  the  inci- 
dents and  memories  of  two  years  ago.  Most 
of  these  occurrences  and  bits  of  conversation 
have  been  so  long  forgotten  by  me  that  it  was 
like  getting  acquainted  with  myself  again  and  I 
am  surprised  more  and  more  that  you  should 
remember.  The  recollection  of  my  first  days 
on  coming  to  this  farm,  then  so  strange  a  place, 
have  been  blurred  and  overcrowded  by  succeed- 
ing years.  More  distinctly  than  anything  else 


210        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

I  remember  our  first  meeting  on  the  station- 
platform,  to  which  you  refer.  .  .  .  What  will 
you  think  when  I  tell  you  that  just  at  these  dots, 
I  went  to  perch  upon  my  trunk  —  the  very 
trunk  where  you  first  found  me  —  and  said  to 
myself  very  commandingly,  and  then  very  en- 
treatingly,  '  BE  a  little  girl  again !  '  But  I  could 
not  be,  even  for  one  moment.  One  day  I  woke 
up  to  look  out  the  window  and  oh,  how  strange 
it  was!  I  had  been  carried  out  of  girlhood. 
When  one  is  a  child,  one  finds  almost  within 
one's  reach,  tickets  to  all  sorts  of  destinations 
—  to  wealth  and  fame,  principally;  but  there's 
one  kind  of  ticket  never,  never  found  in  the 
borderlands  of  youth  —  the  return-ticket. 
Good-by  —  I  think  I  hear  my  train  whistling 
now,  getting  ready  to  carry  me  farther  and 
farther  away  from  the  days  you  write  about. 

"  R.  W. 

"  P.  S.  Oh,  about  that  Good-by-to-the-Farm 
Dance,  to  be  given  here  by  Minna:  it  makes 
me  so  sad  to  think  of  leaving  this  dear,  dear 
place  that  I  couldn't  possibly  dance  to  celebrate 
the  mournful  event,  so  I  will  not  be  downstairs 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  211 

on  the  festive  night.  I  thank  you  for  wanting 
the  first  two  dances  with  me,  and  may  as  well 
explain  that  I  don't  know  how  to  dance,  and 
never  expect  to  learn.  I  don't  want  to  do  it, 
which  is  perhaps  an  out-cropping  of  my  well- 
known  queerness.  Ah,  I  see  you  anticipated 
that,  but  no,  I  couldn't  sit  out  the  dances  with 
you.  It  would  almost  kill  me  to  sit  out  any- 
thing, and  it  would  make  me  hate  my  partner 
—  my  fellow-prisoner  in  dull  captivity.  You 
wouldn't  want  the  hate  of 

"  The  Little  Oriental  Lady." 

Alfred  put  his  three  notes  together,  read 
them  one  after  the  other,  sought  to  extract  the 
essence  of  the  Collection.  Taken  in  connection 
with  the  fact  that  Richard  would  not  see  him, 
what  did  the  friendliness,  the  simplicity,  the 
frankness  of  the  style  signify?  Was  she  prac- 
ticing on  him,  thus  perfecting  her  manner  asr 
an  author?  To  Alfred,  only  one  thing  was 
definitely  certain  —  he  wanted  to  see  her  more 
after  her  second  note  than  her  first,  much  more 
after  her  third  than  her  second.  If  the  corre- 


212         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

spondence  continued,  he  would  surely  grow  des- 
perate with  vague  longings,  yet  it  must  continue 
as  the  only  means  of  bringing  her  to  him, 
though  she  come  only  on  paper. 

He  went  to  the  Good-by-to-the-Farm  Dance 
from  social  duty;  he  staid  as  long  as  he  must, 
in  a  state  of  marked  melancholy.  The  filmy 
dresses,  the  bright  faces,  the  merry  voices,  the 
orchestral  sighs  all  reminded  him  of  Richard, 
hidden  somewhere  upstairs  no  doubt,  lonely, 
yet  determined  —  the  little  hermitess  !  Some- 
times he  was  indignant  because  she  treated  him 
so,  and  declared  he  would  make  no  further  ef- 
forts to  see  her,  would  live  henceforth  as  if 
she  had  no  existence.  Then  he  remembered 
that  she  treated  him  no  worse  than  she  did  the 
rest  of  the  world,  and  was  filled  with  pity  for 
her  strange  obstinacy.  Then  he  wondered  why 
he  should  so  eagerly  wish  to  see  her,  after 
staying  away  so  long  lest  they  meet;  and  then 
the  desire  grew  fiercer  not  according  to  logic 
but  nature,  and  he  told  himself  see  her  he 
would  in  spite  of  everything  —  meaning  in  spite 
of  herself- — cruel  little  "  Oriental  Lady"! 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  213 

He  observed  that  her  absence  from  the  par- 
lors was  taken  quietly,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
by  all  the  guests.  A  few  made  a  faint  show 
of  regret  that  she  should  be  so  retiring  in  all 
her  ways,  but  nobody  showed  surprise.  They 
had  grown  so  accustomed  to  her  isolation  that 
they  could  hardly  have  understood  Alfred's  re- 
bellious mood.  One  young  man  ventured  in  a 
guarded  whisper  that  if  Richard  had  come 
down,  she  would  have  been  by  far  the 
most  beautiful  woman  present — "  Woman  1" 
thought  Alfred,  with  an  impatient  shrug. 

If  the  young  man  were  right,  who  could 
blame  the  rest  of  the  women  for  being  inter- 
ested in  something  else?  And  certainly,  there 
was  something  else  to  brighten  their  eyes,  and 
awaken  pangs,  or  enthusiasm  —  it  was  the  first 
public  appearance  of  the  diamond  butterfly. 

How  it  sparkled  on  Minna's  bosom!  Her 
mother  was  so  proud  that  she  took  half  a  step 
backward  from  old  age.  Never  a  movement, 
a  toss  of  the  little  head  or  bend  of  the  perfect 
arm,  escaped  that  mother's  eye  which  bright- 
ened with  every  smile  that  flitted  across  the 


2i4        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

daughter's  face.  And  when  Minna  said  some- 
thing to  make  people  laugh,  Mrs.  Flood  bent 
and  waved  like  a  tall  flower  stirred  in  a  happy 
breeze.  When  Minna  floated  to  the  delicious 
strains  into  the  bright  remoteness  of  the  back 
parlor,  Mrs.  Flood  sent  a  thousand  little 
thoughts  and  cares  to  attend  her  like  fluttering 
sprites  to  ward  off  evil.  And  when  she  was  lost 
from  sight,  Mrs.  Flood  talked  about  her  to  any 
one  who  would  listen.  If  the  world  had  not 
been  created  for  Minna,  Mrs.  Flood  was  very 
much  mistaken;  what  place  in  it,  then,  for 
Richard? 

Juanita,  however,  did  not  believe  the  world 
had  been  created  for  Minna;  and  finding  her 
husband  out  in  the  moonlight,  smoking  his  cigar 
and  wishing  it  time  to  go  home,  she  intimated 
as  much.  Juanita  might  have  passed  a  delight- 
ful evening,  for  she  had  danced  oftener  with 
her  host  than  with  any  one  else,  and  Jack  Pal- 
mer, though  fat,  was  wonderfully  light  of  foot 
—  ordinarily  it  would  have  been  a  night  to 
dream  about;  but  there  was  that  diamond  but- 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  215 

terfly.  Juanita  naturally  supposed  it  a  gift 
from  Jack  to  his  wife,  for  Mrs.  Flood  had  not 
cared  to  stir  up  discussion  regarding  her  hus- 
band—  that  always  seemed  like  a  reproach  to 
Minna.  Of  course  Jack  had  a  right  to  give  his 
wife  what  he  pleased;  but  B.  M.  Gridge  had 
never  given  Juanita  a  diamond  butterfly.  Did 
Jack  care  more  for  his  wife  than  — 

"  You  bet  he  don't!  "  declared  the  merchant, 
throwing  away  his  cigar.  "  Why,  Juanita,  lit- 
tle one,  you  know  how  I  worship  you,  there's 
nothing  I  wouldn't  do  — " 

"  You've  never  given  me  diamond  butter- 
flies," with  an  adorable  pout  that  made  him 
want  to  kiss  her  even  in  front  of  the  brilliant 
windows. 

"  I'll  give  you  a  dozen  of  them  when  I  can 
afford  it.  Just  now  that  new  house  calls  for 
every  penny  I  can  spare  — " 

"  Jack  is  building  a  new  house,  too,  and 
he  can  spare  enough  pennies  to  make  his  wife 
happy — "  The  little  creature  looked  so  like 
a  child,  and  spoke  so  like  a  child,  that  her  hus- 


216        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

band  was  lost  in  admiration.  She  was  so  un- 
sophisticated, anybody  could  tell  just  what  she 
was  thinking! 

He  said,  benignly,  "  You  wouldn't  love  me 
more  if  I  gave  you  diamonds,  I  hope." 

"  But  I  would  know  you  loved  me  more," 
she  murmured,  ingenuously. 

He  laughed  —  the  transparent  little  rascal ! 
If  he  could  have  explained  that  Jack  knew  noth- 
ing of  that  diamond-pin  —  but  no,  since  Mrs. 
Flood  had  kept  silent,  he  was  afraid  to  venture 
on  explanations  of  any  sort;  if  you  gave  Juanita 
the  tiniest  end  between  her  fingers,  she  had  a 
way  of  pulling  out  the  entire  thread,  no  matter 
with  what  damage  to  the  fabric. 

Suddenly  Gridge  had  an  idea.  How  it  had 
come  he  did  not  know ;  doubtless  it  was  evolved 
by  the  languorous  music  from  within,  the  moon- 
light that  bathed  the  meadows  and  flecked  the 
gravel  walks  with  silver  dots,  the  nearness  of 
Juanita's  coaxing  face,  the  perfume  of  her  hair, 
the  starry  sparkling  of  her  eyes. 

"  Well,  little  wife,  shall  we  give  a  Farewell- 
to-the-Old-Home  Masked  Ball,  and  put  you  in 


AN  ORIENTAL  LADY  217 

the  middle  of  it  with  a  diamond  necklace  about 
that  lovely  neck?  " 

"  I'd  be  ashamed  to  have  anything  cheaper 
than  Minna's  butterfly." 

"  Suppose  we  say  a  necklace  twice  as  costly, 
eh?  That  will  rather  put  a  spoke  in  Minna's 
wheel,  don't  you  think?  " 

"How  you  talk,  Mr.  Gridge!  It  isn't  be- 
cause I  want  anything  better  than  she  has, 
but  because  I  don't  like  to  believe  that  you  think 
less  of  me  than  .  .  .  than  you  ought  to  think." 

"All  right  —  that's  decided;  I'll  think  of 
you  in  a  two-thousand-five-hundred-dollar  dia- 
mond necklace,  at  your  next  party,  and  then  it'll 
be  Jack's  move !  " 

Two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  was  the 
estimate  Zack  Flood  had  placed  upon  the  dia- 
mond necklace  left  in  Gridge's  care  for 
Mrs.  Flood.  In  fact  it  was  this  very 
necklace  which  Gridge  had  determined  to 
give  Juanita.  And  why  not,  after  all? 
Flood  had  given  him  the  alternative  of  selling 
the  diamonds  if  necessary;  Gridge  would  charge 
the  value  against  himself.  Whenever  he  was 


218        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

able,  he  would  give  the  money  to  Mrs.  Flood, 
and  in  the  meantime,  Juanita  might  as  well 
enjoy  the  necklace.  It  was  doing  no  good  in 
that  strong  box  at  the  bank. 


1 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  MASKED  BALL 

masked  party  which  presently  be- 
came the  talk  of  Pendleton,  was  the 
last  to  be  given  in  B.  M.  Gridge's  an- 
cestral home.  The  Flood  farm,  or,  as  it  was 
now  called,  the  Palmer  farm,  had  passed  into 
alien  hands,  and  the  Palmers  were  boarding  at 
the  big  Pendleton  Hotel.  After  the  masked 
party,  the  Gridges  would  also  stay  at  this  hotel, 
a  three-story  brick,  much  too  large  for  Pendle- 
ton, at  once  the  pride  of  the  town  and  the  de- 
spair of  its  owners.  The  Palmers  and  Gridges 
would  be  like  a  family-party  under  that  impos- 
ing roof;  they  would  lend  a  certain  dignity 
hitherto  unattained  by  flitting  strangers, —  not 
a  dignity  of  restraint  or  solemnity,  but  a  gay, 
proper  dignity,  a  social  dignity.  Juanita  and 
Minna  were  recognized  as  the  rival  queens  of 
society,  and  the  day  they  determined  to  pa- 
219 


220        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

tronize  Pendleton  Hotel  until  their  mansions 
should  be  built,  that  day  Pendleton  Hotel  be- 
came fashionable. 

All  guests  to  the  masked  party  were  warned 
to  come  so  artfully  disguised  that  identification 
would  be  as  difficult  as  possible.  There  were, 
of  course,  prizes,  for  no  Pendleton  function  was 
possible  without  them;  and  he  and  she  who 
were  the  last  to  be  discovered  would  carry  off 
the  first  two.  B.  M.  Gridge  was  the  only  one 
on  that  gay  evening  who  appeared  in  his  own 
character;  he  could  not  possibly  have  been  any- 
body else,  and  besides,  it  was  well  enough  for 
somebody  to  seem  to  be  at  home  to  receive. 
Juanita,  who  did  not  show  herself  till  the  Pal- 
mers had  come,  glided  into  the  hall  dressed 
in  deep  black.  Very  slim  and  little  she  looked 
and  very  weird  —  so  little,  no  one  could  be  in 
doubt  a  moment  as  to  who  she  was;  and  so 
black,  in  slippers,  stockings,  dress,  head-cover- 
ing and  velvet  mask,  that  the  diamond  necklace 
seemed  a  line  of  fire  about  her  black  collar. 
Long  gloves  concealed  her  arms,  even  the  sharp 
little  red  elbows  —  not  a  morsel  of  skin  was 


THE  MASKED  BALL  221 

shown.  She  was  not  seeking  to  represent  any 
character  from  history  or  fable  —  this  was 
frankly  an  exploitation  of  the  diamond  neck- 
lace. It  was  enough.  Such  a  necklace  as  that 
had  never  been  seen  in  Pendleton;  it  might  have 
gotten  a  Marie  Antoinette  into  trouble. 
Surely  this  was  Juanita,  but  heavens !  where 
could  she  have  found  that  glittering  wonder? 
Minna  Palmer  was  a  butterfly,  or  rather  a 
hundred  butterflies.  Her  headdress  quivered 
with  artificial  butterflies.  Her  yellow  satin 
robe  with  its  wings  of  lace  typified  a  most 
gorgeous  specimen;  on  the  toes  of  her  white 
satin  slippers  were  crimson  butterflies,  and  they 
were  worked  on  her  stockings,  one  —  two  — 
three  —  oh,  there  was  no  knowing  how  far  up 
they  might  be  flying!  But  the  last  word  was 
said  by  the  pin  upon  her  bosom,  the  diamond 
butterfly.  A  few  crimps,  one  might  say,  were 
taken  out  of  its  wings  when  it  encountered  that 
necklace;  still,  its  diamond  eyes  still  shone 
bravely.  As  there  was  only  one  such  ornament 
in  the  county,  Minna's  name  would  not  be  hard 
guessing;  however,  it  was  worth  more  to  her 


222        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

to  wear  that  pin  than  win  any  prize  (but  how 
on  earth  had  Juanita  come  by  that  necklace? 
Even  diamond  butterflies  are  not  always  unal- 
loyed delights). 

Alfred  set  himself  to  discover  the  identity 
of  all  his  former  schoolmates,  taking  very  little 
care  to  preserve  his  own  disguise.  It  was  all 
amusing,  well  worth  his  coming  home,  to  force 
so  much  gay  laughter  out  of  the  past.  He  was 
particularly  light-hearted  with  Minna,  remind- 
ing her  of  his  boyhood  affection  with  the  cool- 
ness shown  by  a  scientist  toward  a  dried  speci- 
men. And  when  he  found  Jack  Palmer,  too 
fat  for  incognito,  bestowing  all  his  blandish- 
ments as  a  German  Baron  on  the  tiny  black 
sprite  of  the  diamond  necklace,  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  warn  him  away  with  — "  B.  M. 
Gridge  has  his  eyes  on  you,  Jack  the  Giant 
Killer!  "  (pronouncing  Giant  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  make  it  a  miserable  pun  for  Juanita). 

But  there  was  a  late  comer  whom  Alfred 
failed  to  recognize.  "  Hav*e  we  ever  met?  " 
he  asked,  seating  himself  beside  her  as  soon  as 
she  had  found  a  chair.  Her  figure  was  strik- 


THE  MASKED  BALL  223 

ingly  handsome,  tall  and  graceful,  her  bearing 
was  free  and  easy. 

'  Yes."  The  reply  was  so  brief,  the  voice 
failed  to  offer  a  clew.  She  was  simply  dressed, 
all  in  white  but  for  the  pink  mask. 

"  If  your  face  can  at  all  compare  with  your 
hands,  your  form,  and  that  promise  your  atti- 
tude gives,  you  are  surely  the  most  beautiful 
of  my  acquaintances  I  "  he  hazarded. 

"  My  beauty  does  not  stop  at  my  face." 
"  And  your  voice  is  like  perfect  music." 
"  Shall  I  play  you  some  more?  " 
"  Do !     Tell  me  what  character  you  repre- 
sent, for  so  far  as  I  can  make  out,  you  are  dis- 
guised as  an  ordinary  mortal." 

"  I  am  playing  Richard,  the  Second." 
"  Richard,  the  Second?  " 
"Yes;  you  were  very  well  acquainted  with 
the  First." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  this  is  Rich- 
ard? " 

"  Did  you  not  have  to  be  told?  " 
"  But  it  isn't  fair  —  you  are  not  supposed 
to  be  here !  " 


224        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I  shall  vanish  before  the  unmasking  and  the 
dancing." 

"  Oh,  please  don't,  please  don't !  I  —  for  I 
must  see  you,  I  must! "  His  tones  vibrated 
with  earnestness.  He  was  all  excitement,  all 
delight.  Who  could  have  imagined  that  Rich- 
ard would  develop  into  this  splendid  woman! 
And  she  had  come  to  him,  as  it  were  —  at  least, 
she  had  made  no  attempt  to  escape.  He  might 
have  guessed  forever  and  all  in  vain. 

"Why  must  you  see  me?" 

"  How  can  you  ask?  After  our  dear  friend- 
ship —  for  it  was  very  dear  to  me  —  can  I 
help  wanting  to  meet  you  face  to  face?  O 
Richard,  how  could  you  be  so  unkind,  this 
whole  summer?  What  hours  you  made 
me  lose  when  all  the  time  we  might  have  been 
enjoying  each  other's  hopes  and  plans,  as  in 
the  old  days!  " 

She  shook  her  head.  "  Not  as  in  the  old 
days,  sir,  for  remember,  I  am  Richard,  the  Sec- 
ond. I  have  no  old  days.  I  took  all  my  old 
days  and  made  them  into  a  necklace  of  pearls, 
then  I  wound  them  about  young  Richard's  neck 


THE  MASKED  BALL  225 

and  buried  her.  There's  no  young  Richard, 
nowadays." 

Her  voice  slightly  faltered. 

"  But  part  of  those  bygone  times  belonged 
to  me,  and  you  had  no  right  to  cover  them  up." 

"  I  did  it,  though.  And  nobody  can  bring 
them  back  to  life.  You  can't  have  your  share 
again!  " 

"You  admit  part  was  mine,  once?" 

"  Yes,  but  you  went  away  and  left  it." 

"  Oh,  Richard,  I  never  knew  what  a  fool  I 
was,  till  I  wasn't  one  any  longer !  " 

"  No  one  ever  does,  I  imagine.  And  how 
wise  you  suddenly  became,  sir!  " 

"  I've  never  made  any  such  claim.  Wise  in 
what?" 

"  The  art  of  healing,  to  be  sure.  Where  did 
you  learn  it  all?  " 

Alfred  burned  scarlet  behind  his  mask.  Evi- 
dently his  step-mother  had  betrayed  the  sacred 
secret  and  Richard  had  heard  of  it.  Angry 
with  himself  for  having  ever  written  that  un- 
happy letter,  filled  with  mortification,  he  was 
speechless. 


226        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

The  masked  figure  laughed  without  bitter- 
ness. "  And  your  fame  as  a  healer  has  spread 
abroad !  "  she  added,  lightly. 

It  was  another  way  of  telling  him  that  the 
whole  neighborhood  had  learned  why  he  staid 
away  last  summer.  He  cringed.  Then  with 
a  smothered  groan  he  exclaimed,  "  Taunt  me, 
Richard!  Say  to  me,  '  Physician,  heal  thyself.' 
I  deserve  it,  and  I  couldn't  deny  the  implica- 
tion." 

"  Why  should  I  taunt  you,  I  who  am  Rich- 
ard, the  Second,  and  have  nothing  to  do  with 
doctors?  No,  I  came  to  this  party  on  purpose 
to  find  you." 

"To  pardon?" 

"To  petition." 

'*  You  have  a  favor  to  ask?  What  a  kind 
chance !  I  make  only  one  condition  —  that  you 
let  me  see  you  without  your  mask." 

"  If  I  were  to  ask  a  favor  as  coming  from 
you,  I  suppose  I  should  be  obliged  to  comply. 
Fortunately  the  favor  is  from  my  uncle;  and 
you  are  only  the  medium  of  communication  —  a 
sort  of  post-office  box." 


THE  MASKED  BALL  227 

He  strove  desperately  to  catch  her  meaning; 
why  post-office  box? 

"  I  am  in  need,  Mr.  Montgomery,"  she 
added,  gravely,  "  and  I  must  ask  you  for 
money." 

"  Yes,"  he  faltered,  faintly.  "  Oh,  yes,  cer- 
tainly." Richard,  the  Second,  did  not  approach 
him  as  a  stranger,  after  all !  "  I  see  .  .  . 
money."  He  was  too  astounded  to  collect  his 
wits. 

She  spoke  with  greater  decision,  thinking  him 
hesitating:  "I  must  have  twenty-five  dol- 
lars, and  must  have  it  at  once." 

He  repeated  vaguely,  "twenty-five  dollars? 
By  all  means." 

"  Perhaps  I  should  explain  just  why  I  need 
this  amount." 

"  Oh,  not  at  all  ...  that  is  immaterial.  I 
understand,  then,  that  you  ask  me  to  give  you 
twenty-five  dollars?  " 

"  Yes.     That  will  be  enough." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  fifty?  "  he  asked,  with  a 
secret  flash  of  humor  to  illumine  his  astonish- 
ment. 


228        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I'd  like  only  what's  necessary." 

"  Well,"  Alfred  remarked,  somewhat  drily, 
"  I'm  the  sort  of  post-office  box  that's  full  of 
registered  letters.  You  can  draw  out  the 
twenty-five.  But  you'll  surely  give  me  a 
date?" 

"  You  can  send  it  to-morrow,  to  the  hotel." 

"  I  mean  —  you'll  let  me  have  an  evening 
with  you  —  an  hour,  at  least?" 

"  I'm  afraid  all  my  hours  are  engaged." 

"  But  I  should  have  some  reward,  you  know, 
for  —  for  cashing  your  wish." 

"  You'll  have  the  consciousness  of  knowing 
you  have  kept  your  trust,"  she  returned,  rather 
coolly. 

Alfred  pondered  these  words.  "  Somehow, 
the  reward  doesn't  seem  enough." 

"  I'm  sorry."  Richard  had  no  more  to  say 
on  that  point. 

Suddenly  Alfred  began  to  laugh.  He  ex- 
cused himself  with,  "  It's  so  odd,  you  know !  " 
Then  quickly,  "  Yes,  you'd  better  tell  me  why 
you  want  the  money,  it  may  shed  some  light 
on  the  mystery  of  all  those  engaged  hours." 


THE  MASKED  BALL  229 

"  I  think  it  best,  too,  so  you  may  make  a 
memorandum." 

"  Then  you  expect  to  pay  back,  some  day?  " 

For  an  instant  Richard  was  silent,  weighing 
the  propriety  of  letting  him  take  such  command 
of  her  affairs.  "  Do  you  ask  that  as  one  who 
assumes  the  right  to  know?  " 

"  Haven't  I  the  right  to  know  what  is  done 
with  my  money?  " 

"  It  isn't  your  money." 

"  I  don't  quite  understand  you,  Richard,  but 
certainly  I  have  no  rights." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you.  Shall  we  go  out  in 
the  moonlight?  "  He  followed  her  from  the 
house,  perplexed  but  charmed.  There  was  in 
her  walk  a  grace,  and  in  her  figure  a  beauty  of 
line  and  motion,  that  made  him  eager  to  accept 
the  popular  verdict  regarding  her  face.  Surely 
it,  too,  was  surpassingly  lovely,  and  in  the  mild 
influence  of  the  summer  night,  the  tantalizing 
emotions  inspired  by  her  imagined  loveliness 
and  the  moonlight  that  surrounded  her,  brought 
back  the  half-forgotten  thrill  of  boyhood's  love. 
Of  course  he  did  not  love,  except  so  far  as  one 


23o        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

may  worship  the  features  existing  in  a  dream, 
or  may  concentrate  the  perfume  of  dewy  flow- 
ers and  the  mystic  charm  of  silvered  meadows 
and  gleaming  ponds,  weaving  the  whole  into 
the  semblance  of  a  woman's  face. 

She  led  him  to  a  bench  at  a  distant  corner 
of  the  yard,  and  they  became  one  group  in 
many,  scattered  over  the  lawn.  Occasionally 
laughing  couples  accosted  them,  but  there  was 
less  danger  of  being  overheard  than  in  the 
house,  and  it  soon  developed  that  Richard 
spoke  in  confidence. 

"  If  you  do  me  the  honor  to  remember  my 
ambition  when  you  were  here  last,"  she  said, 
"  you'll  remember  that  I  wrote,  and  expected 
to  become  an  author.  I've  never  given  up  this 
expectation,  and  never  shall,  but  I  have  found 
it  impossible  to  get  any  of  my  writings  pub- 
lished for  pay.  The  sending  back  and  forth 
of  manuscripts  takes  a  good  deal  of  money, 
when  in  every  envelope  you  must  inclose  return 
postage.  And  I  have  no  money.  It  is  terrible 
to  have  to  ask  Cousin  Minna  for  any,  because 
—  yes,  just  because.  .  .  .  And  I  have  been 


THE  MASKED  BALL  231 

thinking  of  trying  a  literary  agent.  Something 
must  be  the  matter  with  my  stories,  or  some- 
body would  take  one  of  them!  Maybe  a  lit- 
erary agent  could  show  me  what's  the  matter. 
But  they  want  money  to  do  such  work.  Every- 
thing requires  money  —  I  don't  know  how  the 
grass  grows  without  it!  The  worst  thing 
about  my  work  is,  that  there's  nothing  to  show 
for  expenditures.  At  the  end  of  two  years  I 
have  not  one  check,  not  one  printed  word,  to 
show  for  my  investment.  I  don't  blame  every- 
body for  thinking  I'm  wasting  my  time.  But  I 
feel  I'm  growing  stronger  in  my  art,  and  must 
be  nearer  success  every  day.  You  see,  there's 
no  mystery  about  how  I  spend  my  time;  I'm 
engaged  to  my  art.  I  slave  at  my  desk,  never 
showing  myself  a  particle  of  mercy,  for  oh  — 
for  oh,  Alfred!  if  I  can  just  win  independ- 
ence —  not  fame,  that  isn't  what  I  want,  but 
to  be  able  to  pay  my  own  way  —  not  have 
to  depend  on  —  on  other  people  —  on  char- 
ity  .  .  .» 

She  stopped  abruptly,  resolute  to  spare  her- 
self the  humiliation,  and  himself  the  embarrass- 


232        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

ment,  of  a  broken  voice.  He  waited  for  her  to 
continue,  but  it  was  a  good  while  before  she 
could  do  so.  All  at  once  the  cruelty  of  her 
position  had  seized  her  by  the  throat.  There 
was  crowded  upon  her  heart  the  burden  of  a 
hundred  failures,  the  ruined  fragments  of  a 
thousand  castles  in  the  air;  and  just  for  the 
moment,  those  architects  of  hope  which  ordi- 
narily built  for  her  so  swiftly,  so  skillfully,  out 
of  mere  dream-stuff,  showed  leaden  fingers  — 
their  fairy  touch  was  lost. 

Alfred  had  a  curious  impression  of  being 
suddenly  awakened  from  a  summer's  revery. 
Though  he  could  not  see  the  face  behind  the 
mask,  he  could,  to  some  degree,  penetrate  the 
heart  behind  those  clasped  hands.  There 
opened  before  him  a  world  of  labor  in  which 
the  breezes  are  grateful  because  they  cool 
one's  brow  wet  with  sweat,  and  the  light  is 
holy  because  it  follows  creative  work.  He  was 
bewildered  as  he  grasped  this  idea  of  ceaseless 
activity,  unending  endeavor.  To  his  mind, 
Richard  was  like  one  striving  to  reach  the  lofty 
branches  of  the  tree  of  success,  with  nothing 


THE  MASKED  BALL  233 

upon  which  to  climb  but  the  dead  leaves  of  suc- 
cessive winters. 

"  I  ought  to  say,"  added  Richard,  when  sure 
that  her  voice  would  not  falter,  "  that  whether 
I  needed  the  money  or  not,  I  should  write,  be- 
cause, well  —  being  a  writer  seems  being  my- 
self. But  I  do  need  the  money,  I  need  it  to 
save  me  from  —  from  an  intolerable  position. 
Think  of  it!  See  how  I'm  placed  —  but  you 
can't  understand." 

"  It  isn't  right,"  he  cried,  impetuously,  "  for 
you  to  give  up  all  pleasure  —  society  and  all 
that  —  to  work  day  and  night.  You'll  kill 
yourself,  and  —  and  it's  unkind  to  other  peo- 
ple. I  should  think  you'd  rather  go  away  — 
teach  school,  or  something,  if  you  feel  that  you 
aren't  independent  with  the  Palmers."  He 
might  have  added  that  a  salary  would  spare 
her  the  necessity  of  applying  to  him  for  money. 

"But  I  can't  go  away  —  that's  what  you 
don't  understand.  My  aunt  needs  me.  I  am 
all  she  has  to  depend  on." 

"  You  are  right  to  say  I  can't  understand 
that!  She  has  her  own  daughter!  " 


234        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  She  needs  me,"  Richard  said,  quietly,  "  and 
will  need  me  more." 

"  Richard,  if  you'll  permit,  I'll  undertake  to 
get  you  a  country-school  which  you  can  begin 
teaching  the  very  month  I  go  back  to  the  uni- 
versity." 

"  I  can't  leave  my  aunt." 

"  Between  school  hours,  you'd  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  your  writing." 

Richard  was  silent. 

Alfred  exclaimed,  impatiently,  "  Oh,  the  ob- 
stinacy of  the  self-sacrificing!  " 

From  the  house  came  the  sounds  of  sudden 
movements  indicating  that  the  time  of  unmask- 
ing was  at  hand.  The  warning  was  shouted 
across  the  lawn. 

"  Time  for  Cinderella  to  slip  away,"  said 
Richard,  starting  up.  "  Don't  be  uneasy  about 
me  —  I'll  dive  into  that  grove,  come  out  upon 
the  street  below  the  meadow,  and  be  in  town  at 
once.  Good-by." 

He  stepped  with  her  into  the  heavy  shadow. 
"  But  Cinderella  must  leave  her  clew  —  that 
pink  mask,  for  instance.  Oh,  Richard,  I  must 


THE  MASKED  BALL  235 

see  your  face,  I  have  no  intention  of  letting  you 
escape  until  I  have  that  great  happiness.  I 
know  too  well  how  difficult  it  is  to  find  such  op- 
portunities." 

Richard  laughed  lightly.  "  This  is  not  an 
opportunity,  it's  just  something  that  looks  like 
one,  one  of  those  things  I've  been  grasping  at 
all  my  life!  No,  you  cannot  have  the  mask 
and  I  shall  certainly  not  leave  my  slipper,  for 
I  must  walk  —  haven't  even  a  pumpkin-car- 
riage." 

Alfred  stepped  in  the  path.  "  Listen,  Rich- 
ard," he  said,  earnestly,  "  I  shall  not  remind  you 
of  the  twenty-five  dollars  — " 

"  No  need  to,  it's  the  last  thing  I  could  for- 
get." 

" —  But  on  the.  strength  of  our  past  friend- 
ship —  or  because  I  am  determined  yet  to  be 
your  friend  —  or  for  whatever  reason  you 
please,  I  declare  to  you  that  with  your  kind  per- 
mission (I  hope)  or  without  it,  if  it  must  be, 
I  will  see  your  face  this  night !  " 

Richard  hesitated,  and  he  saw  her  bosom 
swell  as  if  agitated  by  quick  emotion. 


236        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I'm  sorry  to  be  so  rude,  so  brutal,"  said 
Alfred,  grimly,  "  but  the  fact  is,  I'm  desperate 
to  see  you,  Richard,  and  you  are  so  absurdly 
unkind  .  .  ." 

"  Very  well  then,  you  shall  have  the  mask, 
you  shall  look  at  me  if  you  insist  upon  it,  after 
I  have  told  you  why  I  object.  I'll  make  the 
story  so  short  that  by  the  time  you  go  with  me 
through  the  grove,  you'll  know  it  all.  When 
you  left  Pendleton  two  years  ago,  Richard,  the 
First,  you  will  remember,  was  in  love  with  you. 
She  was  a  very  lonely  child,  and  after  her 
father's  death,  you  came  into  her  life  in  such 
a  way  that  there  was  no  one  but  you  to  fill  it. 
She  could  never  have  told  you  of  her  love  if 
she  hadn't  known  that  you  loved  her  cousin, 
and  you  were  so  down-hearted,  she  thought  it 
would  give  you  courage  to  take  up  your  life 
after  you'd  been  refused;  besides,  you  were  go- 
ing away  —  and  then,  well,  she  loved  you  so 
that  when  you  were  sitting  there  miserable, 
broken-hearted,  she  couldn't  help  wanting  you 
to  know.  Such  a  queer  child!  She's  dead, 


THE  MASKED  BALL  237 

Alfred,  with  bowed  head,  listened  intently,  as 
he  kept  beside  her  through  shadows. 

"When  you  were  gone,  it  was  her  life  to 
write,  and  think  of  you.  She  loved  to  stretch 
herself  on  the  grass  down  by  the  Spring  — 
where  you  had  rested  —  and  recall  your  fea- 
tures, your  voice,  your  words,  and  imagine  you 
standing  there,  the  Alfred  she  prayed  for  every 
day,  whom  she  had  called  her  '  Knight.'  And 
when  winter  came,  she  used  to  wonder  if  you 
would  ever  write  to  her,  just  a  note,  a  line,  to 
say  that  you  were  happier,  that  you  were  learn- 
ing to  bear  the  great  sorrow  of  always  loving 
Minna,  but  never  being  loved  —  for  the  ridic- 
ulous little  girl  imagined  you  could  never  cease 
loving  Minna,  for  you  had  told  her  so!  And 
she  thought  what  a  white  star  day  it  would  be 
if  a  message  came  from  you  signed,  *  Your 
Knight.'  Foolish  Richard,  the  First,  to  think 
she  was  ever  in  your  mind!  " 

"  But  she  was  often  in  my  mind !  "  cried  Al- 
fred. 

"  As  she  wandered  over  frozen  ground,  she'd 
make  dreams  about  you  as  pure  and  beautiful 


238        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

as  the  snow:  you  would  always  live  alone,  and 
so  would  she  and  perhaps,  some  day,  in  the 
same  city;  and  you  would  come  to  talk  about 
your  work,  and  she  would  tell  you  about  her 
books,  never  more  than  that  because  your  heart 
would  never  love  again;  while  she  could  never 
love  another.  Such  little-girl's  fancies,  clear 
and  white  like  the  snow  scattered  on  the  frozen 
ponds!  So  she  carried  you  to  every  nook  of 
Uncle  Zack's  farm  —  how  she  loved  that  dear 
place,  now  in  strangers'  hands.  They'll  never 
see  you  waving  in  the  long  grass  or  rising  from 
the  snow." 

Alfred  bent  his  head  lower. 

"  There  wasn't  any  change  in  the  little  thing 
until  last  summer  when  everybody  said  you 
couldn't  come  home  because  I  —  let  us  say  she 
—  was  in  love  with  you  and  had  told  you  so! 
And  everybody  was  so  sorry  for  the  little  thing, 
and  so  curious  to  see  how  she  looked  in  love ! 
Minna  and  Jack  had  to  get  acquainted  all  over 
with  her,  and  people  said  it  was  such  a  pity, 
such  a  pity  —  but  so  strange!  It  was  strange. 
So  the  little  thing  shut  herself  up  in  her  room 


THE  MASKED  BALL  239 

and  wrote  till  her  hand  cramped,  and  her  brain 
was  hardly  clearer  than  her  ink,  trying  not  to 
think  about  it,  trying  only  to  write  something 
worth  while  —  to  write,  to  write,  to  write  —  to 
write  you  out  of  her  heart,  to  cross  you  all 
over,  to  cover  you  with  other  thoughts.  But 
you  were  pretty  deep  in  the  child's  brain  —  or 
heart." 

They  came  to  a  thorn  bush  that  stretched 
across  the  footpath  and  Alfred  reached  out  to 
draw  aside  the  branches. 

"  No,  let  me,"  cried  Richard,  quickly.  "  I 
don't  want  other  people  to  clear  the  difficulties 
from  my  path.  Then  I  heard  from  your  step- 
mother that  you  were  coming  home,  which 
meant  you  had  given  Richard,  the  First,  time  to 
get  over  her  infatuation.  So  she  looked  into 
her  soul  to  discover  if  it  were  quite  healed,  for 
she  had  been  so  frantically  absorbed  in  her 
work,  she  had  not  taken  time  to  inquire.  And 
what  do  you  think  she  found?  That  whether 
for  good  or  ill,  you  were  so  intertwined  among 
the  fibres  of  her  being,  that  she  couldn't  tell 
where  you  began  and  where  you  ended !  You 


24o        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

couldn't  be  plucked  out,  for  you  were  part  of 
her  life.  So  I  said  I  would  kill  Richard,  the 
First,  with  all  her  memories,  with  all  her  love. 
And  I  buried  her." 

"You  couldn't!"  he  exclaimed  in  a  low 
voice.  "  Richard,  if  I  was  there  —  in  your 
heart  —  so  securely  —  you  couldn't  have  driven 
me  out  by  any  act  of  will." 

"  I  could,  and  I  have  done  so !  "  she  de- 
clared. "  For  I  am  not  the  child  that  loved 
you,  I  am  the  woman  who  has  nothing  to  do 
with  love.  I  will  not  have  those  old  days  dug 
from  their  grave.  My  life  is  a  very  serious 
one,  and  my  work  is  very  jealous.  I  tell  you, 
nothing  shall  interfere  with  it!  Society  shall 
not  distract  me,  temptations  of  idleness  shall 
be  unheeded,  and  as  I  cannot  make  friends,  I 
owe  no  time  to  friendship.  I  am  Richard,  the 
Second,  and,  Alfred  —  forgive  me  —  I  have  no 
time  for  you.  My  need  is  too  desperate  for 
you  to  accuse  me  of  selfishness.  I  must  succeed; 
I  must  make  my  way;  I  must  gain  independence 
—  and  I  haven't  the  leisure  to  let  the  ink  rust 
on  my  pen.  Maybe  I'd  write  better  if  I 


THE  MASKED  BALL  241 

rested,  but  how  can  I  rest  until  I  have  written 
something  to  make  me  free?  " 

"  If  you  would  leave  the  Palmers  —  board 
in  the  country  or  city  and  teach  school  — " 

"  I  can't  leave  my  aunt.  She  depends  on  me 
—  couldn't  do  without  me.  If  I  were  gone, 
she'd  be  left  alone  half  the  time,  and  it  terrifies 
her  to  sleep  in  an  empty  house  at  the  mercy  of 
uncertain  servants.  Minna  and  Cousin  Jack  go 
to  the  city  once  or  twice  a  week  with  a  theater 
party,  or  take  overland  auto-rides,  and  when 
they  stay  at  home,  they  are  out  till  midnight  at 
parties,  or  have  their  own  house  filled  with 
guests.  If  my  aunt  didn't  have  me,  what  could 
she  do  but  die  of  loneliness  and  fear?  When 
Uncle  Zack  comes  home,  as  I'm  sure  he  will, 
some  day,  I  shall  be  proud  to  show  that  I've 
been  worthy  of  his  confidence  and  love.  Minna 
and  Jack  give  me  shelter  and  food  just  be- 
cause my  uncle  left  me  on  their  hands.  You 
see  why  I  am  desperate  for  money?  That's 
why  I  dare  not  stop  writing,  even  to  breathe  I  " 

"  I  have  had  several  long  talks  with  Mrs. 
Flood  this  summer,"  Alfred  remarked,  hesi- 


242        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

tatingly,  "  and  she  has  never  once  intimated 
that  she  depends  upon  you  for  anything." 

"  Oh,  my  aunt  doesn't  know  that  she  needs 
me.  I'm  just  like  the  air  —  she  lives  on  it 
without  a  thought.  When  I  sit  writing  beside 
her  while  the  house  is  ringing  with  gaiety,  or 
is  silent  from  desertion,  very  likely  she 
imagines  I  am  rather  in  her  way!  But  if  I 
weren't  there,  you'd  see !  Sometimes  —  it's 
the  strangest  thing!  —  she  actually  resents  find- 
ing so  much  comfort  in  my  company  because  it 
seems  to  cast  a  reflection  upon  her  daughter  — 
whom  she  worships.  She  wouldn't  for  the 
world  praise  me  for  being  faithful,  it  would 
seem  to  hint  that  Minna  neglects  her.  The 
fact  is,  she  quite  deceives  herself  —  she  has  to 
—  her  faith  in  Minna  is  like  the  breath  of  her 
nostrils.  Shall  we  say  good  night?  —  here  is 
the  road." 

"Must  we  say  it?" 

"  Yes  —  they'll  miss  you  from  the  ball. 
And  I  don't  want  you  to  see  my  face,  because  I 
want  to  be  strangers  with  you  —  do  you 
mind?" 


THE  MASKED  BALL  243 

"  Oh,  yes,  Richard,  I  mind  cruelly.  You'll 
never  know  how  my  heart  has  been  wrung  by 
what  you  have  told  me  — " 

"  That's  well.  I  don't  want  to  know  any- 
thing but  my  work.  You've  heard  of  artists 
making  a  choice  between  art  and  life,  but  I'm 
spared  the  need  of  choosing  for  I've  not  the 
alternative.  It's  just  plain  work  for  me  — 
anything  that  interferes  with  that,  is  my  enemy. 
Alfred,"  she  added  very  earnestly,  but  gently, 
too,  "  you  would  interfere  with  my  work  — 
you  would  destroy  it!  " 

"  Good  night,"  said  Alfred,  opening  the 
gate  and  letting  her  pass  into  the  moon-lighted 
road,  without  offering  his  hand.  "  It  shall  be 
as  you  said:  I  will  be  strangers  with  you." 

"  Thank  you."     She  moved  quickly  away. 

Alfred  called  tremulously,  "  But  not  for  al- 
ways, Richard,  not  for  always?  " 

There  was  no  hesitation  in  the  white  figure 
as  it  slipped  along  the  shadow-fringe  where  the 
grove  overlooked  the  smooth,  gleaming  coun- 
try-road. 

Alfred  stood  in  the  open  gateway  and  called 


244        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

again,  "  Say  not  for  always,  Richard,  not  stran- 
gers for  always !  " 

Her  voice  came  to  him  faintly,  but  full  of 
sweetness:  "Who  knows?  Perhaps  not  for 
always." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW 


^"  ""^HE  solitary  cottonwood-tree  which 
had  attracted  Richard's  attention  the 
evening  Alfred  drove  her  from  the 
Pendleton  station  to  her  new  home,  was  little 
changed  since  then,  and  yet  through  the  sum- 
mers of  nine  successive  years,  its  leaves  had 
whispered  of  fragrant  breezes,  or  roared  in  the 
sudden  storm.  Early  summer  had  come  for 
the  tenth  year  and  its  shadow  danced  on  the 
long  meadow-grass  as  gleefully,  as  much  at 
home,  as  if  the  song  of  those  agitated  branches 
had  never  been  interrupted  by  the  touch  of  win- 
ter. The  same  fence  of  wire  and  hedge-posts 
divided  the  unbroken  field  of  bluegrass  from 
the  fringe  of  goldenrod,  mullein  and  Spanish 
needles  which  had  not  yet  achieved  their  yellow 
glory  along  the  broad  country  road.  It  seemed 
to  the  wanderer,  as  he  halted  in  the  shade  of 
245 


246        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

the  lofty  tree,  that  the  very  ruts  of  the  road 
were  those  in  which  his  wheels  had  sped,  so 
long  ago.  Everything  was  the  same  —  fields 
of  corn  and  timothy  and  red  clover;  fences, 
road,  cottonwood-tree ;  blue  sky  and  golden  sun ; 
fragrance  of  earth  and  shrill  sweetness  of 
meadowlarks  —  nothing  had  changed  in  all 
that  landscape,  but  himself. 

Zack  Flood  had  no  delusions  about  himself, 
or,  so  far  as  he  could  help  it,  about  anybody 
else.  He  knew  his  feet  were  ten  years  heavier, 
his  hair  ten  years  grayer,  his  heart  ten  years 
older,  than  on  the  day  he  last  passed  under  the 
shadow  of  this  old  landmark.  To  another  it 
might  have  occurred  that  nature  was  cruel  to 
keep  eternally  young  as  if  reminding  him  that 
long  after  he  had  passed  for  the  final  journey 
beyond  the  cottonwood-tree,  its  shade  would  be 
as  sweet  for  somebody  else,  while  in  its  rippling 
melody  would  be  no  memory  of  him.  But  even 
if  Zack  had  been  susceptible  to  such  generaliza- 
tions he  would  have  grimly  declared  that  one 
life  was  enough  for  him,  and  the  tree  could 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         247 

shelter  whom  it  might  when  he  had  no  further 
use  for  it. 

After  a  brief  rest,  he  resumed  his  way  toward 
the  farm,  his  sturdy  pace  never  quickening,  but 
his  eye  growing  brighter  and  brighter  as  the 
distance  from  the  station  increased.  On  leav- 
ing the  train,  nobody  had  recognized  him, 
though  he  could  have  called  a  dozen  of  the 
platform-loungers  by  their  first  names.  If  pos- 
sible, he  would  conceal  his  identity  on  reaching 
his  old  home,  that  is,  just  for  an  hour  or  so, 
addressing  his  wife,  his  daughter,  his  niece, 
and  that  lazy  son-in-law  of  his,  as  a  complete 
stranger.  Of  course  they  would  be  there,  sit- 
ting on  the  porch,  very  likely  —  at  least  Jack 
would  be  sitting  —  and  he  would  walk  forward, 
diffidently,  asking  either  for  work  or  for  some- 
thing to  eat.  While  trying  to  choose  his  part 
between  that  of  a  farmhand  and  a  mendicant, 
he  laughed  with  impatience  and  a  mist  rose  to 
his  eyes  —  but  he  would  not  hurry.  There 
was  time  enough  —  or,  if  not,  running  would 
avail  nothing.  One  does  not  run  forward  to 


248        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

seize  the  days  that  have  flown  over  one's  shoul- 
der. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  he  had  met  B.  M. 
Gridge  face  to  face  in  the  station;  his  old  friend 
had  stared  at  him  intently,  but  as  one  who  gazes 
upon  a  stranger.  Ten  years  had  greatly 
changed  "  B.  M." —  Zack  doubted  if  he  could 
stand  on  his  hands  nowadays!  but  evidently 
Zack  was  changed  much  more.  It  would  be 
such  a  joke  if  his  wife  failed  to  recognize  him ! 
.  .  .  Zack  found  himself  running,  and  brought 
up  short,  with  a  severe,  "  You  old  fool!  " 

His  destination  came  in  sight  —  the  dear  old 
farm,  looking  so  new!  The  spring  still 
trickled  into  the  brook,  the  brook  slipped  away 
between  the  same  green  banks,  with  the  same 
murmur  of  tiny  waterfalls.  There,  in  the  back 
lot,  stood  three  mules  at  the  wormeaten  feed- 
trough,  and  through  the  open  loftdoor  could 
be  seen  hay  stacked  to  the  cupola  —  it  was  just 
like  Jack  to  leave  open  that  door  .  .  .  but  it 
was  not  like  him  to  have  so  much  hay  in  his 
barn.  And  the  house,  so  well-kept,  so  neatly 
painted  —  had  he  misjudged  Jack,  after  all? 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         249 

If  so,  he  had  been  sufficiently  punished  by  his 
long  exile. 

As  he  opened  the  yard  gate  he  remembered 
the  day  of  the  annual  picnic  when  he  had 
sprung  over  the  stiles  half-stifled  with  rage  and 
terror.  Passing  the  honeysuckle  arbor  he  re- 
called the  days  of  its  planning  and  making.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  he  could  see  baby  Minna's 
bare  feet  running  before  him  along  the  walk, 
and  that  from  the  window  where  the  sugar 
maple  tapped  against  the  weather-boarding, 
looked  out  the  older  Minna,  as  beautiful  as  only 
one's  own  child  can  be.  At  the  front  porch  he 
paused,  staring  at  the  wooden  seats  fastened 
in  each  side,  and  remembering  how  he  and  his 
wife  had  sat  there  at  the  close  of  day,  looking 
out  over  the  green  world  with  its  wind-ruffled 
ponds  dark  and  gleaming  by  turns,  in  the  young 
days  when  there  was  no  Minna. 

He  was  so  overwhelmed  by  these  recollec- 
tions which  defied  any  logical  or  chronological 
order,  that  he  stood  a  long  time,  seeking  to 
compose  himself,  grateful  that  he  had  not  been 
discovered.  The  distant  hum  of  voices  told 


250       THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

him  that  the  family  was  on  the  side-porch.  It 
was  about  five  o'clock  —  the  time  when  he  and 
his  wife  had  been  wont  to  enjoy  a  restful  pause 
before  taking  up  those  duties  that  cluster  about 
the  supper-hour.  He  was  none  the  less  impa- 
tient to  greet  his  loved  ones  because  he  had 
voluntarily  staid  away,  and  had  denied  himself 
all  possible  means  of  hearing  from  them  during 
ten  years.  The  deepest  love  and  the  most 
unyielding  obstinacy  are  often  found  in  the 
same  heart;  and  while  to  his  last  breath,  Zack 
would  maintain  that  his  staying  away  had  been 
for  the  best,  and  under  the  same  circumstances 
he  would  do  it  again,  it  was  equally  as  true  that 
his  starved  soul  had  been  kept  alive  only  on 
the  expectations  of  a  happy  reunion.  He  was 
even  ready  to  put  his  arms  about  Jack  and  say,- 
"  Be  as  worthless  as  you  please,  I'll  support 
you  the  rest  of  my  life !  No,  I'm  not  sorry  I 
went  away  —  but  I'm  not  going  again." 

When  he  hoped  he  could  trust  himself,  Zack 
went  around  the  house,  giving  love-glances  to 
the  uneven  stones  before  the  side  porch,  the 
damson-tree  that  had  grown  amazingly  since 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW 

Minna  used  to  climb  it,  and,  over  yonder,  the 
toolhouse  where  he  had  made  so  many  things 
to  outlast  himself,  and  where  Richard  had  scrib- 
bled herself  into  the  belief  that  she  had  a  ca- 
reer. 

On  the  long  side-porch  sat  a  man  and  woman 
of  middle  age  whom  Zack  had  never  seen. 
The  porch  itself  was  painfully  familiar.  The 
water-bucket  hung  from  the  very  nail  he  had 
driven  in  the  wall.  The  woodbox  by  the 
kitchen-door  had  been  papered,  but  he  could 
see  it  was  the  same  he  had  made  from  lumber 
left  after  one  of  the  many  additions  built  for 
Minna's  benefit.  Suppose,  on  learning  of  her 
secret  marriage,  he  had  made  no  complaint,  had 
not  gone  away  —  had  simply  built  another 
room!  Upon  the  wall  three  feet  above  the 
bench,  hung  a  sunbonnet,  blue,  shapeless.  That 
was  Minna's  nail;  she  used  to  climb  upon  the 
bench  and  reach  up,  oh,  so  proudly  —  then  look 
round  at  her  father  and  mother  with  eyes  say- 
ing, "You  see  I  can  do  it!"  And  what  a 
marvel  it  was  to  them  that  she  could  do  it  — 
that  she  could  do  anything!  Was  ever  such 


252         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

another  wonder  in  the  world  as  that  little 
Minna? 

"  Good  evening,"  said  the  sturdily-built, 
smooth-faced  man  who  sat  in  a  great  round- 
backed  chair,  speaking  and  sitting  as  one  hav- 
ing authority. 

"  Could  I  see  Mr.  Palmer  — Mr.  Jack  Pal- 
mer? "  asked  Zack,  doubtfully.  Already  he  sus- 
pected the  truth.  No  stranger  would  be  sitting 
in  that  round-backed  chair  with  such  an  air  of 
having  filled  it  many  a  time;  either  this  was  a 
renter,  or  — 

"  I  guess  you're  mistaken,"  said  the  man,  re- 
moving his  pipe.  "  Mr.  Palmer  used  to  own 
this  place,  but  I  bought  it  of  him  eight  years 
ago.  You'll  find  him  in  town,  I  guess.  Been 
a  good  while  since  you  were  in  these  parts? 
Have  a  chair.  Don't  happen  to  be  looking  for 
a  job,  do  you?  Porter's  my  name." 

Zack  sat  down  heavily;  at  last  he  was  once 
more  under  his  own  roof.  "  Oh,  he  sold  out, 
did  he?  I'm  surprised  —  and  yet,  now  I  think 
of  it,  that's  exactly  what  I  expected.  Yes,  I've 
been  down  in  Arkansas  a  long  time.  I  —  I 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         253 

used  to  work  on  this  farm,  not  for  Palmer, 
however;  I  always  worked  for  Zack  Flood." 

The  woman  spoke,  persuasively.  "  The 
Hand's  House  is  empty  and  until  we  can  find 
a  family  to  live  on  the  place,  there  it  is.  ... 
If  you  could  cook  for  yourself  —  Mr.  Porter 
has  been  left  to  do  the  milking  and  he  wouldn't 
be  very  particular;  our  man  that  did  the 
jobs  about  the  house  went  away  without  a 
word,  day-before-yesterday.  Would  you  be 
strong  enough?  —  I'm  afraid  you're  pretty 
old." 

"  Strong?  Why,  yes,  I  can  bear  a  good 
deal,"  said  Zack,  in  the  slow  voice  he  had  ac- 
quired in  the  solitude  of  his  Arkansas  farm. 
He  had  grown  into  the  habit  of  talking  to 
himself,  where  there  were  few  to  talk  to,  and 
his  tones  had  a  special  significance  to  himself 
which  was  lost  on  other  ears.  "  Yes,  I  can 
bear  a  good  deal.  The  Hand's  House  is  the 
place  for  me,  the  very  place !  As  for  cooking, 
that's  what  I've  done  the  past  ten  years,  all  my 
own  cooking.  Yes,  I'll  milk  your  cows  and  do 
anything  else  you  want.  I'm  about  sixty  years 


254        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

old,  but  I'm  good  for  a  long  life  yet,  unless 
somebody  takes  and  kills  me." 

"  So  you  used  to  work  on  this  place  when  it 
belonged  to  what-do-you-call-'im,  Jack  Palmer's 
father-in-law,  eh? "  said  Porter,  interestedly. 
"  You  ought  to  know  what  kind  of  a  chap  he 
was." 

"  I  expect  I  know  Zack  Flood  better  than 
most  folks." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  any  signs  of  craziness 
on  him?  " 

Mrs.  Porter  added,  "  He  was  crazy  when  he 
went  away.  What  kind  of  looking  man 
was  he?  " 

"  As  different  from  me  as  could  be,"  replied 
Zack,  meditatively.  "  Where  my  face  is  run- 
ning wild  with  whiskers,  his  was  clean-shaven 
except  for  a  mustache  that  he  kept  sort  of 
lawn-mowed  just  so  it  could  speak  for  itself, 
but  never  interrupt  anybody.  He  was  my 
height,  about,  but  Lord!  he  was  always  as 
straight  as  a  young  sapling,  his  shoulders  fairly 
r'ared  back  —  and  you  see  I'm  all  bunched  over 
like  a  beanpod  curling  up  in  dry  weather.  He 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         255 

stepped  as  light  and  brisk  as  a  girl,  and  he  did 
no  little  stepping  as  I  can  testify,  for  if  he 
hadn't  a-kept  ahead  of  his  daughter's  expense- 
account  he  would  sure  have  been  run  over." 

She  interrupted:  "  But  I  meant,  did  he  look 
sort  of  wild  and  curious  at  times?  Seems  that 
he  was  losing  his  mind  without  any  one  sus- 
picioning  it.  He  just  went  off  and  left  this 
farm,  nobody  knew  why  —  deeded  it  to  his 
wife  and  daughter,  between  them,  and  's  never 
been  heard  of  since." 

"  I  think  his  eye  was  sort  of  fixed  at  times, 
ma'am.  I  suppose  his  wife  and  child  are  living 
in  town?  " 

"  His  daughter  —  Mrs.  Jack  Palmer  — 
lives  in  Pendleton.  But  his  wife  — "  Mrs. 
Porter  shook  her  head. 

-  "  Don't  tell  me,"  Zack  cried  out  so  wildly 
that  they  looked  at  him  curiously.  "  Don't  — 
don't  tell  me  that  she  is  dead.  I  —  I  —  you 
know,  I  never  thought  of  that." 

"Dead?  No."  Mrs.  Porter  spoke  in  an 
angry  voice.  "  Oh,  no,  she's  not  dead.  But 
they've  put  her  in  an  almshouse." 


256        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

'  They  wouldn't  dare !  "  cried  the  wanderer, 
starting  up,  fiercely.  "  Wasn't  she  given  half 
of  this  farm?  I  guess  you've  got  that  wrong, 
ma'am.  I  don't  think  Jack  Palmer's  that 
cruel,  and  I  know  Minna  would  have  died 
first." 

"  Sit  down  and  take  it  cool,"  said  the  farmer, 
with  dry  kindliness.  "  My  wife  always  puts 
that  wrong  end  foremost.  She  will  have  it  an 
almshouse.  Take  my  word,  it's  nothing  of  the 
sort." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Zack,  slowly  seating  him- 
self. "  I  guess  I  caught  some  of  Flood's  in- 
sanity, working  for  him  so  long.  Well,  if  it 
isn't  an  almshouse,  what  is  it?  " 

Porter  stared  at  the  ceiling,  then  at  his  pipe. 
"  It's  a  refuge,"  he  explained,  at  last. 

"What  was  she  escaping  from?  Her 
daughter?" 

Mrs.  Porter  remarked,  "  You  must  have 
thought  a  great  deal  of  her  husband !  " 

"  I've  got  a  mighty  low  opinion  of  him,  now. 
Where  is  that  —  refuge?" 

"  Five  miles  out  of  town.     A  few  years  ago, 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         257 

her  church  built  a  Home  for  this  state  —  a 
Home  for  Old  People.  She's  out  there." 

"  Didn't  she  have  a  home  of  her  own?  " 

"  She  gave  that  to  Jack  Palmer." 

"  But  she's  not  old  enough  to  be  taken  into 
such  a  place." 

"  I  guess  she's  older  than  you  think.  They 
all  call  her  *  Old  Mrs.  Flood.'  She's  never  been 
young  since  we  moved  to  this  county.  She  was 
so  o-o-old,  and  weakly,  and  in-the-way,  that  they 
didn't  know  what  to  do  with  her.  And  when 
they  went  to  Europe  of  course  they  couldn't 
take  her  along,  and  there  was  nobody  to  keep 
her;  but  I  always  said  it  was  wrong  to  send  her 
to  an  almshouse." 

Porter  corrected,  "  'Tain't  an  almshouse,  it's 
a  refuge.  It's  a  Home." 

"  My  God !  "  muttered  Zack.  "  Is  there 
anything  on  earth  more  desolate  than  a  Home 
that  begins  with  a  capital  *  H  '  ?  Her  husband 
deserves  — " 

"  Oh,  he  was  crazy,  I  reckon  he  couldn't  help 
it,"  interposed  Mrs.  Porter.  "  He  just  went 
off.  Wasn't  any  reason  or  anything  —  he  just 


258        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

went.  He  got  up  and  put  out.  Sometimes  I 
think  if  he  ever  gets  his  senses  and  comes  back 
and  finds  his  wife  in  an  almshouse,  he'll  do 
something." 

"Yes,"  said  Zack,  slowly.  "He  will.  I 
know  him  and  I  can  vouch  for  him  that  he'll 
do  something.  That  is,  //  he  ever  gets  his 
senses.  Wasn't  any  reason  for  him  to  leave  his 
family,  you  say?  " 

"  Not  a  thing.  None  of  his  folks  ever  knew 
why  he  pulled  loose.  They  say  he  hadn't  ever 
mistreated  his  family,  that  is  with  quarreling 
and  the  like,  though  he  was  pretty  close  with 
his  daughter.  She'd  set  her  heart  on  an  auto- 
mobile for  years,  but  he  wouldn't  hear  to  it. 
She  got  one  after  he  left.  She's  had  two  since 
then." 

"  I  reckon  her  mother  doesn't  handle  one, 
does  she?  " 

Porter  started  from  his  chair,  on  discovering 
a  horseman  riding  up  to  the  gate.  "  Come  in, 
come  in,  Mr.  Gridge  1  "  he  called. 

B.  M.  Gridge  dismounted,  tied  his  horse  to 
the  gate,  and  came  over  the  stiles  with  a  step 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         259 

as  slow  and  heavy  as  that  of  the  wanderer. 
Zack  shrank  a  little  from  his  gaze,  for  already 
half-formed  plans  which  depended  upon  his  es- 
caping recognition,  were  forming  in  his  agitated 
mind. 

The  merchant  greeted  the  Porters  with  none 
of  his  old-time  heartiness,  then  glanced  care- 
lessly at  Zack  Flood,  remarking,  "  I  saw  you 
get  off  the  train." 

Zack  nodded,  afraid  his  voice  would  be- 
tray him,  for  he  was  unconscious  of  its  altered 
tone. 

"  Our  new  hand,"  said  Mrs.  Porter,  with 
an  air  of  grateful  proprietorship  — "  Mr. 
Sprized."  Zack  wondered  where  she  had 
found  that  name,  then  decided  that  when  he 
had  said  "  I'm  surprised,"  she  had  fancied  he 
was  introducing  himself. 

"  Yes,"  he  ventured,  "  I'm  Sprized."  The 
voice  awoke  no  suspicions. 

"  I  was  at  the  station,"  remarked  Gridge, 
heavily,  "  when  the  train  came  in,  and  as  I  hap- 
pened to  have  my  horse  there,  I  thought  I'd 
ride  out  here.  I  can't  explain  it,  but  I  got  to 


26o        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

thinking  about  Zack  Flood  —  man  that  used  to 
own  this  farm  —  and  he  got  so  bodily  natural 
I  could  just  see  him,  and  that  put  me  to  think- 
ing of  the  old  place  .  .  .  and  I  remembered 
I'd  never  taken  time  to  call  on  you  people  .  .  ." 

"  We've  been  talking  about  nothing  but  old 
Mr.  Flood  for  the  past  hour,"  cried  Mrs. 
Porter.  "  This  man  used  to  work  for  him,  and 
knew  him  like  a  book." 

Gridge  looked  at  Flood  again,  but  without 
much  interest;  farmhands  flitted  to  and  fro  in 
that  neighborhood  like  birds  alternating  be- 
tween north  and  south.  Flood  carried  his 
chair  out  under  the  damson-tree  that  the  others 
might  feel  relieved  from  his  presence,  and 
while  they  indulged  in  general  conversation,  he 
watched  his  old  friend,  pained  to  find  how  much 
he  had  aged  in  every  way,  and  apparently  with 
no  recompensing  gift  of  cheerful  patience. 

At  last  he  heard  Gridge  say,  "  Well,  you 
don't  know  how  odd  it  is  for  Zack  Flood  to 
seem  so  near!  It's  the  farm  —  he  was  almost 
a  part  of  it  —  I  can  just  see  him  driving  in  that 
gate  and  throwing  the  lines  to  his  man  —  this 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         261 

very  man,  likely  enough."  Then  to  Zack  — "  I 
understand  you're  from  Arkansas." 

"  Yes,  I  worked  for  a  man  down  there  a 
long  time,  and  strange  enough,  he  was  named 
Flood,  too." 

"  He  was?  Couldn't  have  been  my  friend, 
could  he?"  Gridge  looked  startled. 

"Who?  The  Mr.  Flood  I  worked  for 
up  here?  If  he'd  been  the  same,  I'd  have 
known  it." 

"  Of  course."  Gridge  seemed  relieved. 
"  Yes,  of  course  you'd  have  known  it.  When 
he  went  away,  he  said  he'd  come  back  in  ten 
years  if  he  was  alive.  Well  —  it's  ten  years 
this  summer.  But  he'll  never  come  back.  If 
he  hadn't  been  dead  long  ago,  of  course  he'd 
have  written,  or  people  would  have  come  across 
him.  You  can't  hide  away  ten  years  in  this 
world.  There's  too  many  newspapers." 

"  I  guess  that's  so,"  said  Zack,  "  generally 
speaking." 

"  Yes.  Oh,  Zack  Flood'll  never  come  back. 
Never!" 

"  From  what  I've  been  hearing,"  remarked 


262        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Zack,  "  there  isn't  anybody  wanting  him  much." 

Mrs.  Porter  exclaimed,  "  I'll  bet  his  wife 
would  'most  die  of  joy  to  see  him  coming  up 
the  walk  of  that  elegant  new  almshouse.  But 
I  reckon  his  daughter  would  die  of  shame,  I 
know  I  would  in  her  place." 

"  It  would  be  awful  responsible  for  him," 
Zack  observed,  "  to  cause  two  funerals." 

"  But  he's  dead,"  interposed  Gridge,  posi- 
tively. "  He  must  be  dead,  you  know  I  " 

"  Yes,"  Porter  agreed,  "  one  funeral  will 
have  to  satisfy  him  —  it  would  me." 

After  a  pause,  Gridge  said,  "  But  you  don't 
put  that  right,  Mrs.  Porter.  She's  in  no  alms- 
house.  That's  a  Home  for  Old  People,  and 
it's  kept  up  by  her  church.  It's  —  it's  a  reli- 
gious institution.  Mrs.  Flood  likes  it  there. 
I've  discussed  it  with  her  several  times.  She 
prefers  staying  there  where  she  can  be  inde- 
pendent and  be  waited  on  without  disturbing 
her  friends.  Minna  wouldn't  have  let  her  go 
there  if  she  hadn't  insisted." 

Mrs.  Porter  sniffed  skeptically  while  her  hus- 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         263 

band  remarked  that  he  was  always  arguing  it 
wasn't  an  almshouse.  "  Seems  like  you  have 
to  keep  saying  so,  for  fear  you'll  forget,"  he 
explained,  as  he  refilled  his  pipe. 

Suddenly  Zack  lost  control  over  himself. 
"  God  will  hold  somebody  to  account  for  this !  " 
he  cried,  looking  at  Gridge  as  if  to  penetrate 
his  very  soul.  It  had  been  only  eight  years 
since  the  farm  was  sold;  surely  Mrs.  Flood  had 
not  been  found  in  the  way  at  first.  And  the 
diamonds  were  worth  five  thousand  dollars  — 
not  very  much,  but  enough  to  keep  her  out  of 
the  Home  for  Old  People.  "  Had  she  no 
friends  to  prevent  this?"  Then,  abruptly, 
"  Weren't  you  a  friend  of  her  husband?  " 

"  She  wanted  to  go  there,"  Gridge  answered; 
instead  of  resenting  the  other's  manner,  he 
seemed  anxious  to  defend  himself.  "  She  likes 
it.  You  see,  there  isn't  any  other  place  where 
she  can  feel  at  home,  like.  When  she  had  a 
home  of  her  own,  she  was  so  proud  of  it,  so 
close-bound  to  it,  that  after  her  husband  de- 
serted her — " 


264        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"The  d scoundrel!  "  ejaculated  Porter, 

knocking  out  his  pipe  with  sudden  energy. 

Zack  started  up  with  a  flush.  "  Mr.  Por- 
ter," he  cried,  "  you'll  please  remember  that  — 
that — "  He  checked  himself  with  a  grimace 
— "  that  he  was  Mr.  Gridge's  friend  —  and  it's 
not  nice  to  say  hard  things  about  the  dead." 

"  If  he's  dead,  I'm  sorry  I  said  it,"  re- 
marked the  farmer.  "  But  if  he's  alive,  I  don't 
think  Mr.  Gridge's  friendship  will  stand  in  the 
way  of  expressing  the  truth.  Most  friendship 
in  this  world  is  just  'How  do  you  do?'  and 
passing  on." 

"  I  was  a  real  friend  to  Zack  Flood!  "  de- 
clared Gridge,  striking  his  chair  with  clenched 
hand.  "  If  I  could  have  done  anything  for  his 
wife,  I'd  have  done  it.  I'd  have  been  willing 
to  share  with  her  what  I  had,  but  she'd  have 
been  too  proud  to  take  it.  When  her  husband 
went  away  he  left  in  my  care  a  diamond  pin 
to  be  given  her  in  case  she  sold  this  farm." 

"  Just  a  diamond  pin?  "  inquired  Zack  Flood, 
without  looking  up. 

"  Well,"  returned  Gridge,  "  it  was  very  val- 


OLD  TIMES  AND  NEW         265 

uable  —  worth  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  When 
she  sold  the  farm,  I  handed  it  over;  but  she 
gave  it  to  her  daughter  off-hand.  If  Flood  had 
left  me  anything  else  for  her  it  would  have 
been  the  same.  Just  the  same!  Jack  Palmer 
would  have  gotten  it  —  I  might  as  well  have 
thrown  it  in  the  big  road." 

"  Is  that  the  diamond  butterfly  I've  seen  her 
wear  at  church?  "  asked  Mrs.  Porter,  with  sud- 
den interest. 

"  Yes  —  the  diamond  butterfly." 

"  Zack  Flood  didn't  leave  you  anything  else 
for  her,  then?"  inquired  Zack. 

"  No  —  just  the  diamond  butterfly." 

Zack  rose.  "  Mr.  Porter,  if  you  please,  I'll 
thank  you  to  show  me  the  way  to  the  Hand's 
House." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE 

RIDING  homeward,  B.  M.  Gridge  se- 
lected the  longest  way,  occasionally 
following  lanes  that  carried  him 
back  over  the  same  roads.  He  was  in  a  state 
of  intense  excitement  produced  by  a  sudden  rev- 
olution of  all  his  purposes.  Consciously,  he 
did  not  associate  the  stranger  with  his  changed 
attitude  toward  the  future;  it  seemed  but  a  sud- 
den impulse,  springing  from  renewed  intimacy 
with  the  Flood  farm.  As  he  had  explained, 
Zack  Flood  was  almost  materially  before  him, 
so  clearly  and  inexplicably  had  his  mental  vision 
reproduced  that  long-absent  friend;  but  though 
so  clearly  present,  he  did  not  cease  to  assure 
himself  that  Zack  was  dead  —  must  be  dead. 

It  must  be  so,  because,  otherwise,  he  would 
surely  return,  and  the  time  of  his  coming  was 
at  hand.     It  must  be  so  because,  if  he  returned. 
266 


THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE     267 

...  It  was  with  no  friendly  smile  that  Zack 
Flood  looked  at  him  from  out  the  past.  And 
then  his  conscience  which  for  eight  years  had 
never  ceased  to  torment  him,  cried  out  that 
whether  Flood  were  alive  or  dead,  his  trust 
was  the  same.  He  had  dishonored  the  holy 
name  of  friendship,  but  it  was  not  too  late  to 
make  some  amends;  or,  if  too  late  to  undo  the 
wrong  of  the  past,  there  was  still  time  to  check 
the  impulse  to  add  to  that  wrong  a  fresh  crime. 

Gridge  wondered  dully  why  he  should  hesi- 
tate now.  Until  this  afternoon,  his  intention 
had  not  wavered  of  adding  to  his  sins  against 
Zack  Flood,  in  spite  of  remorse  over  former 
wrongs.  He  had  been  sure  he  would  dispose 
of  the  third  diamond  for  his  personal  ends,  as 
he  had  of  the  diamond  necklace.  Either  that, 
or  ruin.  To  be  sure  the  third  diamond  could 
not  save  him,  could  only  put  off  the  inevitable 
day  of  failure  a  few  months,  but  in  those  few 
months,  what  might  not  happen  to  save  his  com- 
mercial honor? 

Yet  as  he  rode  homeward,  and  even  after  he 
reached  Pendleton  and  came  in  sight  of  his  big 


26.8         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

house  on  the  "  only  fashionable  street,"  his 
sudden  resolve  to  carry  that  third  diamond  to 
Mrs.  Flood  was  unaltered. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  Juanita  asked, 
alarmed,  when  he  came  upon  her  in  her  dress- 
ing-room. 

He  stopped  just  within  the  closed  door,  look- 
ing grimly  about  upon  the  thousand  little  ap- 
pliances that  kept  his  wife  young  and  pretty. 
He  thought  her  distractingly  pretty  in  half-un- 
dress, pausing  in  leisurely  hair-brushing  to  look 
up  at  him  with  that  birdlike  tilt  of  her  head. 
She  thought  him  as  heavy  and  awkward  and 
preposterously  old  as  usual;  but  his  face  was 
fixed  in  soul-agony  that  gave  it  a  cast  of  cruel 
mirth,  as  if  it  were  laughing  at  her  empty  life. 
She  was  dressing  for  that  eternal  Ladies'  Card 
Party.  A  smothered  groan  was  upon  his  lips 

—  a  wild  desire  to  cry  out  against  her  futility 

—  but  she  was  so  tender,  so  little,  so  innocent, 
so  pretty.     She  had  cost  him  the  best  of  him- 
self, and  now  the  house  threatened  to  fall  upon 
them  in  chaotic  ruin  —  but  she  was  so  pretty. 

"I  believe  you're  ill!"  said  Juanita,  some- 


THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE     269 

what  sharply,  as  if  in  rebuke.  "  Why  don't  you 
consult  a  doctor?  You've  been  looking  that 
way  six  months,  I  know." 

"  It's  the  way  a  man  looks,  I  guess,  when 
he's  ruined.  Juanita,  you'd  have  to  know  the 
truth  to-morrow,  you  might  as  well  hear  it  now. 
We're  ruined.  Yes,  I  mean  it  —  we  haven't 
anything.  The  store-doors  won't  open  to-mor- 
row. And  after  the  inventory,  there'll  be  a 
sacrifice  sale  —  that'll  mean  something  for  my 
creditors,  not  much.  This  house  must  go  — " 

Juanita  uttered  a  piercing  scream  and  threw 
her  brush  upon  the  floor.  "You  are  mad!" 
she  cried  shrilly.  "You  are  mad!  You  are 
mad!" 

"  I  wish  I  were,  Juanita.  If  I  keep  my 
senses,  how  can  I  live?  For  we  have  nothing." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  when  the  stock  is 
sold—" 

"  Yes,  and  this  house,  too ;  that  won't  wipe 
out  the  debt." 

"  Then  why,  in  the  name  of  heaven,  did  you 
plunge  into  debt?  " 

Gridge  stared  at  her,  blindly. 


270        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I  say,  why  didn't  you  live  within  your  in- 
come?" cried  Juanita,  leaping  to  her  feet. 
"  Didn't  you  have  anything  when  you  married 
me?  You  made  me  think  so.  Were  you  in 
debt  then?  How  have  you  got  into  debt?  " 

"  We  haven't  lived  very  economically,  dear," 
he  faltered,  weariedly. 

"/  haven't  been  extravagant.  /  haven't 
spent  any  more  than  one  in  my  position  is 
obliged  to  spend.  Good  heavens!  one  owes 
something  to  one's  station,  one  owes  a  little  to 
society.  I've  been  as  economical  as  Minna 
Flood,  and  her  husband  doesn't  do  anything 
for  a  living!  You  work  from  morning  to 
night,  you  are  always  grinding  away.  How 
does  Jack  Palmer  support  his  wife?  " 

"  I  fancy  he  has  very  little." 

"  You  fancy !  And  this  is  what  it  meant 
when  I  chose  you  ...  it  was  to  be  ruined. 
That  was  what  you  wanted  with  me  —  to 
shame  me  before  the  world.  Oh,  I  can't  bear 
it,  and  I  won't  bear  it!  You  can  stand  there 
with  that  patient,  doglike  humility  and  say  with- 
out a  quiver,  *  I'm  ruined  —  I'm  ruined.'  But 


THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE     271 

/  shall  not  say  it.  /  shall  not  be  patient.  / 
shall  not  show  humility.  If  you  think  Minna 
Flood  will  ever  point  at  me  and  say,  '  She's 
ruined,'  you  don't  know  me."  She  burst  into 
passionate  sobbing. 

Gridge  was  helpless.  He  silently  bowed  his 
head,  as  if  acknowledging  the  justice  of  his  pun- 
ishment. 

"  And  what  did  I  do  when  I  wanted  to  go  to 
Europe?"  cried  Juanita.  "Jack  could  take 
Minna  without  any  trouble,  but  you  couldn't 
let  me  go  with  them,  because  you  were  '  hard 
up  ' —  you've  always  been  hard  up,  hard  up ! 
And  I  told  you  I'd  sell  the  diamond  necklace, 
I'd  sacrifice  it,  yes,  I'd  strip  myself  of  the  only 
ornament  worthy  of  me,  to  raise  the  money. 
And  I  did  it.  Minna  could  keep  her  diamond 
butterfly  but  I  had  to  give  my  necklace  to  the 
brokers  to  raise  passage-money.  You  promised 
to  redeem  it." 

"  As  there  is  a  God,  Juanita,  I  expected  to 
buy  back  that  necklace,  I  would  rather  hold  it 
in  my  hand  now,  than  live  another  day." 

Juanita's    frenzied    outburst    was    checked. 


272        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Her  voice  dropped.  "  I'm  so  excited,"  she  fal- 
tered. "  Of  course  I'm  sorry  for  you,  too. 
It's  hard  for  you,  I  know,  but  it's  broken  my 
heart.  I've  said  too  much.  Don't  mind  that. 
But,  oh,  why  didn't  you  tell  me  sooner?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  it  would  come  just  now.  I 
thought  I  had  a  way  to  put  off  the  crash  — " 
He  was  thinking  of  the  third  diamond,  already 
taken  from  the  bank  and  now  lying  upstairs  in 
his  cabinet  drawer. 

"Then  put  it  off!  put  it  off!" 

"  I  thought  there  was  a  way,  but  —  but  — " 

"  There  must  be  some  escape,  or  you 
wouldn't  have  thought  so." 

"Listen,  Juanita,  it's  like  this:  if  some  one 
had  given  me  money  to  keep  in  trust,  and  if  I 
drew  it  to  tide  us  over  this  emergency  — " 

"  But  why  not?     You  owe  it  to  me." 

"  It  might  be  like  that  necklace  I  was  never 
able  to  redeem;  there's  no  assurance  that  I 
could  ever  recover  this  trust-money." 

"  But  you  have  the  assurance  that  without  it 
you  are  lost  —  I  am  lost!  " 

"  Yes." 


THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE     273 

Juanita  ran  to  him  and  seized  his  arm. 

"  Is  it  enough  to  ward  off  the  blow?  " 

"  For  a  few  months." 

"  And  there's  this  house,  you  could  get  an- 
other loan  on  it." 

"  No,  dear,  it's  mortgaged  to  the  last  penny 
it  can  carry." 

"  Never  mind,  something  will  happen,  some- 
thing must  happen." 

"  That's  what  I  thought  when  you  sold  the 
necklace  to  go  with  Minna  to  France.  But  I'm 
thinking  nothing  ever  happens  but  trouble." 

"  Anyway,  it  needn't  be  now,  this  disgrace. 
Don't  you  love  me?  You  used  to  love  me! 
Look  at  me,  look  at  me,  save  me  while  you 
can !  And  I  was  getting  ready  for  the  biggest 
party  of  the  season  —  everything  is  spoiled  — 
I  shall  never  hold  up  my  head  again.  But  you 
won't  let  your  poor  little  Juanita  drop  out  of 
life  —  I  tell  you  if  it  happens,  it'll  kill  me. 
Tell  me  that  you  do  love  me  after  all,  and  that 
you'll  save  my  life." 

Gridge  sank  in  a  chair,  drew  her  upon  his 
knee  and  crushed  her  against  his  bosom.  "  I 


274        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

love  you  —  my  God,  how  intensely  I  have  al- 
ways loved  you!  You  beautiful,  exquisitely 
beautiful  darling !  —  darling,  kiss  me  —  kiss 
me  once,  just  once  of  your  own  dear  sweet  will." 

"  Then  you  are  going  to  borrow  that  trust- 
money?  " 

"  The  owner  isn't  here  to  give  his  consent. 
Kiss  me,  beautiful  one,  just  once." 

"  But  you'll  take  it,  won't  you,  since  it's  in 
your  trust  —  I  mean  take  it  just  long  enough 
to  tide  you  over  these  horrible  troubles?  " 

"  No,"  cried  Gridge  loudly,  as  if  denying 
himself,  "  not  for  an  hour!  " 

"  You'll  see  us  ruined  first?  " 

"  Yes,  by  — — "  he  uttered  a  strangled  oath 
— "  I'll  see  us  both  ruined  first !  " 

She  struck  him  in  the  face  and  leaped  from 
his  embrace.  "  Then  go  —  go  — "  all  her  for- 
mer passion  rushed  upon  her,  turning  her  face 
to  crimson  — "  go,  I  never  want  to  see  you 
again  —  you  shall  never  touch  me  —  or  speak 
to  me  —  or  look  at  me  —  or  — "  She  flung 
herself  upon  a  couch  and  quivered  from  head 
to  foot  with  violent  sobs. 


THE  DIAMOND  NECKLACE     275 

Gridge  stood  looking  down  upon  that  mis- 
erable figure  for  only  a  moment,  then  left  the 
room  and  ascended  the  stairs  with  the  tread  of 
an  infirm  old  man.  As  he  sought  his  pistol  in 
the  cabinet,  as  he  slipped  the  diamond  bracelet 
into  his  bosom,  the  dull  wonder  returned  — 
Why  was  he  about  to  carry  this  bracelet  to 
Mrs.  Flood  when,  until  this  afternoon,  he  had 
been  resolute  in  his  purpose  to  convert  it  into 
money?  What  unforeseen  strength  had  armed 
him  against  the  charms  of  his  wife  which  hith- 
erto had  always  proved  irresistible? 

He  did  not  know,  but  he  was  conscious  of 
that  swift,  soul-flooding  exaltation  known  to 
the  criminal  who  after  years  of  silence,  volun- 
tarily gives  himself  up  to  be  punished  for  a 
crime  of  which  none  but  he  knows  himself 
guilty.  From  baseness  blossoms  unexpected 
heroism,  flowers  springing  from  the  mire;  and 
B.  M.  Gridge,  rather  weak  than  base,  rode 
away  toward  the  Old  People's  Home,  his  face 
still  marked  in  the  cruel  lines  of  soul-agony, 
but  with  head  erect,  eyes  unfalteringly  bright. 


CHAPTER  XV 

TWO  CALLERS 

WHILE  B.  M.  Gridge  was  on  his 
way  to   the  Old   People's   Home, 
Mrs.  Flood  had  already  received 
a  visitor  in  the  single  room  which  now  marked 
the  horizon  of  her  life. 

"  Thought  I'd  drive  out  and  see  you  — 
thought  you  might  be  getting  lonesome,"  said 
Jack  Palmer,  on  entering.  His  great  physical 
dimensions  seemed  augmented  in  the  chamber, 
as  if  he  filled  the  space  of  half  a  dozen  men;  but 
although  there  was  so  much  of  him  —  de- 
cidedly more  than  in  his  younger  days  —  his 
mother-in-law  did  not  begrudge  him  one  square 
inch  of  room.  He  went,  as  by  instinct,  to  the 
only  window,  drew  off  his  coat,  and,  sitting 
down,  blotted  out  the  June  landscape  whose 
early  twilight  bathed  grazing  cattle  and  horses 
drinking  at  the  ponds,  and  woods  waiting  for 
276 


TWO  CALLERS  277 

their  nests  to  be  closed  for  the  night.  Mrs. 
Flood  could  see  nothing  but  the  handsome  head 
of  her  visitor,  and  the  light  peeping  around  his 
neck  —  it  was  as  if  he  had  flung  his  coat  over 
a  toy  Noah's  ark.  However,  she  asked  to  see 
nothing  but  Jack.  It  was  somewhat  like  seeing 
her  daughter. 

"Lonesome?"  repeated  Mrs.  Flood,  "oh, 
no,  I  never  get  lonesome." 

"  That's  what  Minna  always  says."  Jack 
looked  at  her  kindly.  It  did  not  strike  him 
that  a  great  change  had  taken  place  in  face  and 
form  since  his  marriage,  because  that  change 
had  been  wrought  under  his  very  eye.  He  only 
thought  that  she  was  getting  pretty  old,  while 
the  whiteness  of  her  skin,  the  thinness  of  her 
body,  the  little  tremulousness  noticeable  at 
times  when  she  sought  to  sit  erect,  touched  him 
with  compassion.  Of  course,  when  one  grows 
old,  one  cannot  expect  to  be  strong  or  well,  one 
cannot,  for  that  matter,  expect  to  live  so  very 
long.  But  it  seemed  a  pity. 

"  Is  there  anything  I  could  do  for  you, 
Mother?  Is  there  anything  you  want?" 


278        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Oh,  I  have  all  that  heart  could  wish,"  said 
the  other,  smiling  bravely,  "  unless  I  might 
have  seen  Minna  a  little  oftener  —  but  the  five- 
mile  ride  is  too  much  for  her,  I  know.  If 
the  Home  had  only  been  built  in  Pendletonl 
But  you  can't  have  everything  you  wish 
—  and  there's  a  splendid  view  from  my  win- 
dow." 

Jack  turned  his  head  and  looked  out.  He 
seemed  to  stare  right  through  the  cows,  horses 
and  woods,  and  see  —  nothing.  "  It  would 
kill  me,"  he  remarked  frankly.  "  Don't  any- 
body ever  pass?  Doesn't  anything  ever  hap- 
pen?" 

Mrs.  Flood  grew  slightly  reserved  in  her 
manner,  to  reprove  such  ingratitude.  "  There's 
a  great  deal  of  cattle-driving  past  the  Home," 
she  said,  sedately. 

"  And  I  reckon,"  remarked  Jack,  reflectively, 
"  that  it's  better  for  you  than  all  the  noise  and 
confusion  at  our  place.  Minna  says  you  enjoy 
the  quiet.  She  says  you  haven't  had  a  headache 
since  you  got  out  of  town." 

"  It's  true,  the  country  air  is  so  delightful 


TWO  CALLERS  279 

—  yes,  and,  as  you  say,  the  quiet.  It  is  very 
quiet.  No  more  headaches !  "  Then  she 
smiled,  uncertainly.  "  Sometimes  just  a  little  — 
a  little  heartache  —  to  see  Minna.  But  I  know 
she  isn't  strong,  the  ride  is  long  and  rough.  .  .  . 
I'm  so  glad  you  came.  Oh,  please  don't  go, 
yet  —  stay  with  me,  Jack  —  it's  so,  it's  so  — 
I  never  am  lonesome,  you  must  understand,  but 
it's  so  —  different  from  the  old  times  ...  I 
just  want  to  keep  you  with  me." 

Jack,  who  had  risen,  sank  back  in  his  chair, 
and  Mrs.  Flood  crossing  the  room,  patted  his 
shoulder. 

"  I  just  came  for  a  minute,"  he  said,  giving 
up  his  purpose  of  immediate  flight. 

"How  big  you  are  getting!"  She  still 
patted  his  arm,  wildly  casting  about  in  her  mind 
for  some  means  of  fastening  him  to  his  chair  — 
for  big  as  he  was,  experience  told  her  that  he 
had  rare  agility  in  transporting  himself  beyond 
her  portal.  "  Listen,  Jack !  What  would  you 
say  to  a  dish  of  strawberries?  the  first  dish  of 
the  season." 

"  That   sounds  mighty  interesting  to  me," 


280        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

said  Jack,  crossing  one  leg  over  the  other  knee 
with  the  aid  of  both  hands.  "  But  I  don't  sup- 
pose such  a  thing  as  real  cream  ever  showed 
itself  in  this  place,  did  it,  Mother?  " 

Mrs.  Flood  was  in  raptures.  "  Yes,  yes !  " 
she  cried,  triumphantly. 

"  And  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  old  ladies 
live  on  strawberries,  while  we  miserable  young 
people  are  dying  of  hunger?  " 

She  put  her  finger  to  her  lips  and  spoke  in 
an  undertone.  "  Just  one  old  lady,  Jack,  just 
one.  We  must  be  very  quiet  about  it  —  don't 
speak  too  loud  or  the  next  room  will  hear. 
There's  just  enough  for  one,  and  we  mustn't 
make  the  others  feel  bad.  Yes,  Jack,  big, 
juicy  strawberries,  each  as  large  as  that  — "  she 
measured  with  her  thin  hand.  "  And  thick  yel- 
low cream,  and  no  stint  of  sugar;  and  a  slice 
of  cake  as  light  as  air." 

"  O  Lord !  "  cried  Jack,  remorsefully,  "  but 
I  mustn't  eat  it  up  from  you,  Mother,  I  couldn't 
do  that." 

"  S-h-h  1  Don't  let  her  hear,  Jack,  but 
really,  strawberries  do  not  agree  with  me,  very 


TWO  CALLERS  281 

well.  Not  always  —  and  I  mustn't  have  those 
headaches  coming  back — " 

"  Mother,  you're  a  fraud!  " 

"  Just  you  wait  —  just  you  wait !  "  She  hur- 
ried excitedly  to  her  small  table,  drew  back  the 
cloth,  touched  a  callbell,  then  went  to  the  door 
and  waited.  Presently  a  step  was  heard  on 
the  other  side.  She  half  opened  the  door. 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,"  she  said,  breath- 
lessly, to  the  invisible  waiter.  "  No,  you 
needn't  arrange  the  table,  I  will  see  to  that. 
.  .  .  Excuse  me  if  I  say  you  needn't  come  in 
—  I  have  some  business  to  attend  to  —  yes,  I 
can  carry  the  things  quite  well  —  good-by, 
dear."  The  door  closed  and  she  bore  cake, 
berries,  cream,  and  sugar  to  the  little  table. 
"  Now  sit  right  down  here,  Jack,  for  I  have 
something  in  this  dish  fit  for  a  king." 

"  Aha  1  "  Jack  quickly  exchanged  the  win- 
dow for  the  table.  "  That's  an  invaluable 
servant,  Mother.  How  can  the  Home  afford 
to  employ  such  a  fairy?  " 

"  Don't  you  remember,  Jack?  It's  Rich- 
ard." 


282        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"Oh,  yes.  So  she's  still  here,  is  she? 
Well,  that  was  certainly  the  funniest  freak  that 
the  freakiest  girl  I  ever  knew,  was  guilty  of. 
There's  Dicky  with  a  good  education,  know- 
ing all  sorts  of  things  and  thinking  she  knows 
everything  —  why,  she  could  have  been  teach- 
ing school,  or  working  in  an  office,  instead  of 
being  a  servant  —  doesn't  seem  right  to  me. 
Minna  thinks  it's  pretty  hard  on  the  family. 
It  did  seem  more  respectable  when  she  hid  in 
her  room  and  refused  to  see  anybody.  That 
gives  you  a  sort  of  high  and  noble  name.  But 
to  act  as  a  maid  in  a  Home — "  He  selected 
the  largest  berry  and  let  it  close  his  sentence. 

"  She's  a  great  comfort  to  me,"  Mrs.  Flood 
said,  timidly.  "  Yonder  in  the  corner  is  her 
desk,  and  as  soon  as  it's  dark  she  comes  and 
does  her  writing  while  I  sit  near,  knitting  or 
sewing  or  just  with  folded  hands  when  my  eyes 
are  resting.  It's  like  having  somebody  near 
that  belongs  to  me.  She's  a  little  piece  of  the 
old  life,  left  over.  All  day  long  she  never 
rests,  waiting  on  the  old  ladies,  going  errands 
for  them  —  and  her  wages  are  very  little  more 


TWO  CALLERS  283 

than  her  board;  but  at  dark  the  agreement  is 
that  she's  not  to  be  called  —  she  belongs  to  me. 
She  knows  every  ailment  of  every  old  lady, 
and  she  asks  about  each  one  without  ever  mak- 
ing a  mistake;  and  she  reads  to  us  and  tells  us 
about  the  outside  world,  and  knows  how  to 
make  our  pains  lighter  and  how  to  send  our 
minds  off  visiting  in  gay  places  when  they  get 
to  brooding  —  some  of  the  old  ladies  are  like 
homesick  school-girls.  I  don't  know  what  we'd 
do  without  Richard." 

"  Of  course  it's  nice  for  you,  Mother  — 
but—" 

"  I  don't  see  how  she  could  do  as  much  good 
at  any  other  work." 

"  I  expect  not.  But  the  name  of  it  isn't  as 
high  as  teaching,  you  know.  She's  just  a 
servant  —  people  call  her  a  servant,  and  let 
her  go  at  that.  But  there's  no  use  to  argue 
with  her,  nobody  can  turn  Dicky's  head.  By 
the  way,  Alfred  Montgomery  has  come  back  on 
a  visit.  I  wish  he'd  marry  Richard  and  carry 
her  away  to  the  sort  of  life  she's  fit  for.  Al- 
fred's made  good.  He  has  as  much  practice 


284        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

as  any  young  lawyer  in  the  city.  Lord,  how 
industrious  that  chap  always  was ! "  Jack 
sighed  and  poured  out  more  cream. 

"Alfred  marry  Richard!"  echoed  Mrs. 
Flood,  pale  and  trembling.  "  What  do  you 
mean?  Alfred  was  in  love  with  Minna  .  .  ." 

"  Yes,  he  was  till  she  married  me.  But 
Richard  was  dead  in  love  with  him,  and  even 
told  him  so  —  don't  you  remember  how  every- 
body nearly  died  about  it?  Well,  Dicky  never 
changes;  if  she  loved  him  then,  she  loves 
him  now.  And  he  knows  it.  That's  the  sort 
of  thing  to  work  on  a  fellow's  feelings.  I 
wish  they  could  be  brought  together.  I'd  like 
to  have  her  dragged  out  of  this  sort  of  thing  — 
Minna  feels  it  —  I  wouldn't  mind  that  so  much 
if  she  wasn't  all  the  time  talking  to  me  about 
it.  I  think  they'll  get  together  this  summer. 
I'll  help  on  the  good  work  if  I  can.  What 
they  need  is  a  cellar  —  remember  that  old  ice- 
cellar  out  on  the  farm?"  Jack's  vociferous 
laughter  suddenly  echoed  from  the  walls.  "  If 
I  could  get  'em  in  there,  I'd  have  'em  for  bet- 
ter or  worse!  " 


TWO  CALLERS  285 

Mrs.  Flood  understood  nothing  of  this  al- 
lusion, and  the  prospect  of  losing  Richard 
rather  terrified  her;  but  the  sound  of  that  ring- 
ing laugh  made  her  heart  dance  with  pleas- 
ure. Surely  it  was  one  of  her  festive  days 
when  her  son-in-law  laughed  in  her  room  so 
joyously. 

Jack  slowly  finished  his  repast.  "  Ever  read 
any  of  that  stuff  Richard's  always  writing?" 

"  She  has  read  her  book  to  me  —  the  book 
she's  just  had  published,  the  one  she's  worked 
on  for  I  don't  know  how  long." 

He  rose.  "  What  do  you  think  of  it?  See 
any  signs  of  a  gold  mine  in  it?  " 

"  I  wouldn't  say  it  to  anybody  but  to  you 
or  Minna,"  she  answered  in  a  cautious  voice, 
"  but  I'm  afraid  it'll  never  sell.  You  see,  it 
doesn't  sound  like  a  book,  at  all.  It's  just  like 
you  and  me  talking  here  in  the  room." 

"  I  thought  so!  "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  nod. 
"  You  can't  expect  anybody  living  around  here 
to  do  the  real  thing.  If  a  book  doesn't  sound 
like  a  book,  how  is  it  going  to  take  any  rank? 
I  might  as  well  listen  to  my  own  voice  as  read 


286        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

about  a  chap  that  talks  in  my  strain.  Yes, 
she'll  never  be  anything  but  a  servant,  unless 
Alfred  marries  her.  Now,  before  I  go — " 

He  came  around  and  stood  in  front  of  her. 
"  Mother,  we're  going  to  make  a  change.  We 
haven't  said  anything  to  you  because  we  didn't 
want  to  bother  you  with  our  troubles  — " 

She  cried  out,  impulsively,  "  But  that's  what 
I  want  to  know  —  your  troubles,  your  plans. 
Don't  you  understand  that  everything  Minna 
and  you  do  or  think  of  doing  — " 

"  Of  course,  but  you're  not  strong,  and  it's 
not  right,  at  your  time  of  life,  to  be  bothering 
about  us  young  folks.  But  we're  going  to 
make  a  change." 

"  Not  a  bad  change,  I'm  sure,"  she  faltered, 
clasping  her  hands  unconsciously. 

"  It's  an  awful  change  to  me,  I  can  tell  you. 
I'm  going  to  work." 

"Oh,  Jack!" 

"  Yes,  that's  what  I  say  to  myself.  But  you 
see,  I  have  to." 

"  Like  the  real-estate  office  you  talked  of 
opening?  " 


TWO  CALLERS  287 

"  No,  I  mean  hard  digging.  Mother,  we've 
got  to  sell  the  house  — " 

"Oh,  Jack!" 

"Yes,  you're  right,  it  is,  '  Oh,  Jack!'  But 
I  should  have  been  hard  at  it  long  ago.  I've 
nobody  to  blame  but  myself.  The  trouble 
was,  I  didn't  want  to  go  into  business  till  I 
found  something  congenial.  A  fellow  can't  do 
himself  justice  unless  his  work  is  congenial. 
But,  Mother,  between  you  and  me,  I  don't  be- 
lieve there  is  any  —  so  I'm  going  to  do  the  first 
thing  at  hand.  I've  drawn  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Oklahoma  and  we'll  go  out  there 
and  settle  on  it  like  two  poor  little  lonesome 
bees." 

"  Oklahoma !  You'll  take  Minna  away  out 
there?" 

"  She's  true  blue  and  more  anxious  to  rough 
it  than  I  am !  We'll  put  up  a  shack  and  go  to 
digging  —  all  this  fine  life  must  be  cut  out,  and 
we  must  do  the  cutting  before  it  swamps  us. 
Yes,  ma'am,  we've  been  to  France,  now  let  us 
die  in  Oklahoma !  " 

Mrs.  Flood  started  to  her  feet.     "  Take  me 


288        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

with  you !  "  she  cried.  "  I  didn't  belong  to 
your  gay  life  in  town,  I  wasn't  able  to  keep 
up  with  it,  but  out  on  a  farm  —  out  there  — 
anywhere  with  Minna  — " 

"  Do  you  think  we'd  hear  of  it?  "  he  ex- 
claimed, reproachfully.  "  Why,  Mother,  you 
are  no  longer  young.  Such  hardships  would 
kill  you." 

"  Oh,  no,  they  wouldn't.  There  isn't  any 
hardship  like  being  separated  from  my  child." 

"  It's  awfully  good  of  you  to  feel  that  way. 
But  we  are  young,  we  can  stand  it  —  you 
couldn't.  It  isn't  the  life  for  you.  No,  here 
you  are  quiet  and  waited  on  — " 

"Jack,  listen  to  me:  Let  me  go!  I  don't 
want  to  be  waited  on  —  I'll  wait  on  you. 
There's  lots  of  strength  in  me  yet,  if  I  could 
be  with  you  and  Minna.  I  don't  want  to  live 
in  quiet,  I  want  to  go  out  there  — "  She 
paused,  quivering  with  the  intensity  of  her  de- 
sire. 

"  Don't  you  worry,  Mother,"  he  said  sooth- 
ingly. "  It'll  be  all  right.  It'll  be  all  right. 
We  are  young,  and  it's  a  young  world  out  there, 


TWO  CALLERS  289 

and  when  we've  fought  our  way  and  made  a 
good,  comfortable  home  —  in  a  few  years  — 
we'll  come  for  you.  We  young  folks  have  to 
shoulder  our  own  burdens,  because  you  wouldn't 
understand.  But  when  we've  got  a  nice  place, 
if  you  are  living,  you  shall  sure  have  the  best 
room  in  the  house  and  the  best  things  to  eat." 

"  I  don't  want  a  good  room.  A  crust  would 
satisfy  me,  if  —  if  —  if — " 

"  I'm  proud  for  you  to  feel  like  that,  but  we 
mustn't  let  you  sacrifice  yourself.  Anyway, 
Minna  will  see  you  before  we  go,  of  course. 
We  wouldn't  think  of  leaving  without  a  farewell 
visit.  I  oughtn't  to  have  disturbed  you  with 
this  news  at  all.  It  wasn't  to  be  told,  yet.  I 
guess  those  strawberries  mellowed  me  up  and 
made  me  a  little  too  confidential.  Forget  all 
about  it,  and  try  to  be  surprised  when  Minna 
breaks  the  news." 

Before  Mrs.  Flood  could  calm  herself,  a 
servant  —  not  Richard  —  announced  that  a 
gentleman  in  the  parlor  waited  to  see  her,  and 
it  was  by  her  earnest,  persuasion  that  Jack  was 
induced  to  accompany  her  below. 


290        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  My  minister,  perhaps,"  said  Mrs.  Flood, 
a  little  proudly.  "  Or  that  man  that's  getting 
up  a  history  of  the  county  —  oh,  I  have  my 
callers  as  well  as  other  people !  "  She  was  de- 
lighted that  somebody  should  have  called  for 
her  while  he  was  there;  it  would  do  to  tell 
Minna  as  a  proof  that  she  was  not  without  her 
diversions  at  the  Home.  This  small  social  tri- 
umph took  away  for  a  moment  the  sting  of 
Jack's  involuntary  disclosure. 

B.  M.  Gridge,  pale  and  stern,  was  waiting 
near  the  door  with  a  small  box  in  his  hand.  A 
look  of  relief  at  sight  of  Jack  flashed  over  his 
face  which  instantly  became  hard  and  void  of 
light. 

"  Glad  you  happened  to  be  here,  Jack  .  .  . 
No,  thank  you,  ma'am,  I  can't  sit  down  — 
haven't  time.  Came  on  business.  I'm  not 
very  good  at  explaining,  but  you'll  remember 
that  diamond  butterfly  I  gave  you  eight  years 
ago,  when  you  sold  the  farm  —  the  pin,  you 
know,  from  Zack.  Well,  you  see — "  He 
suddenly  bit  his  lip,  uncertain  how  to  pro- 
ceed. 


TWO  CALLERS  291 

Mrs.  Flood  had  sunk  in  a  chair  smitten  by 
undefined  presentiments.  Her  husband's  name, 
seldom  heard,  pronounced  now  by  his  bosom 
friend  —  the  recollection  of  the  mystery  at- 
tending the  presentation  of  the  pin  —  that  box 
clutched  in  the  bloodless  hand  —  and  this  un- 
wonted visit.  .  .  .  Surely  —  but  how  could 
that  be?  Thus  her  agitated  mind  leaped  from 
point  to  point  of  the  dark  unknown,  while  Jack 
saw  only  the  immediate  present. 

"  Sure,"  Jack  nodded.  "  Minna  will  show 
that  pin  at  the  party,  to-night." 

Mrs.  Flood  made  a  violent  effort  to  compose 
herself,  fearful  that  her  son-in-law  would  credit 
her  weakness  to  old  age.  "  I  suppose  Juanita 
will  be  there,  too,"  she  said,  a  little  tremulously. 
"  They  say  it's  the  event  of  the  season  —  the 
climax  of  all  the  Ladies'  Card  Parties."  Her 
eagerness  to  show  herself  posted  in  the  fash- 
ionable news  of  the  day  smote  upon  even  Jack's 
sensibilities. 

"  No,"  said  Gridge,  abruptly,  "  Juanita  will 
not  be  there."  Something  like  a  threat  sounded 
in  his  heavy  voice. 


292        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Jack  raised  his  head  quickly.  He  did  not 
like  that  tone  applied  to  dear  little  Juanita. 

"Oh,  is  she  ill?"  faltered  Mrs.  Flood. 
Then  suddenly  she  cried  out,  "  Mr.  Gridge,  do 
you  know  anything?  —  Have  you  heard — ?" 
She  caught  her  breath. 

"  This  box  is  for  you."  He  placed  it  in  her 
lap.  "  It's  from  him.  He—" 

Jack  caught  her  as  she  was  about  to  fall. 
The  box  slipped  to  the  floor  and  was  jarred 
open.  The  glittering  bracelet  was  revealed. 

"  We're  all  right,  Mother,"  said  Jack,  softly, 
"  we're  all  right,  now.  Here  is  the  present  — 
magnificent's  no  word  for  it  I  " 

He  put  the  ornament  in  her  hand,  but  she 
looked  at  Gridge,  unblinkingly.  "  Have  you 
seen  him?  Is  he  —  did  he  come  — " 

"  He  made  me  promise  not  to  explain  how 
the  gift  reached  me,"  said  Gridge.  "  I  prom- 
ised on  my  honor;  that's  why  I  can't  tell  you 
more." 

"  But  you'll  tell  me  more  than  just  those 
few  words,  won't  you?" 

"  I'm  sorry  I  can't." 


TWO  CALLERS  293 

"  If  he  is  here  —  in  town  —  if  he  brought 
the  box  and  gave  it  to  you,  somebody  must 
have  seen  him.  .  .  .  Doesn't  he  want  me  ever 
to  know  where  he  is,  or  what  he  is  doing?  " 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  for  years  —  there's  no 
harm  in  saying  that  much." 

"  But  wasn't  there  a  postmark  on  the  wrap- 
per? Or  if  it  came  by  express — " 

"  I  haven't  any  idea  where  your  husband  is 
Mrs.   Flood,  none." 

"  You  see,  he's  alive.  He's  alive,  Jack,  he's 
alive  and  —  and  he's  thinking  of  me !  " 

Gridge  was  troubled  that  she  should  build 
up  false  hopes.  "  Mrs.  Flood,  there's  no 
knowing.  He  might  have  left  this  bracelet  in 
the  care  of  some  one,  when  he  first  went  away. 
I  wouldn't  set  my  heart  too  much  on  thinking 
anything  else  but  that  —  that  perhaps  some 
bank  or  institution  has  had  this  trinket  the  past 
ten  years." 

"  But  I  wouldn't  be  here  if  that  were  so," 
cried  the  other,  eagerly.  "  I  wouldn't  be  here 
if  he'd  left  it  with  anybody  in  trust.  Don't 
you  see?  Would  I,  Jack?  Because  when  they 


294        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

found  out  I  was  going  to  the  Home,  they'd  have 
sent  the  bracelet,  or  the  money  it's  worth. 
You  see  that !  " 

Gridge  dropped  his  head  and  muttered  some- 
thing they  could  not  hear. 

"  Oh,  yes,  he's  alive,"  she  cried,  excitedly. 
"  You  see,  I  wanted  to  come  to  the  Home  be- 
cause this  is  the  very  place  for  me  —  I  feel  I'm 
not  in  the  way  because  it  was  built  for  old  peo- 
ple. But  the  world  doesn't  understand.  I  re- 
member when  /  had  a  wrong  idea  about 
Homes ;  I  imagined  they  were  for  —  for  neg- 
lected folks,  you  know.  And  if  the  bracelet 
had  been  left  for  me  in  somebody's  care,  he'd 
have  sent  it  just  as  soon  as  he  heard  I  was 
here.  Because  he  wouldn't  have  understood. 
If  it  had  been  left  in  a  friend's  trust,  or  in  a 
bank,  it  would  have  been  the  friend's  business 
to  keep  posted  about  me,  and  he'd  have  known 
when  I  was  sent  —  when  I  came  to  the  Home. 
But  Zack  went  away  and  cut  himself  off  from 
us  all,  and  he's  just  heard  about  me,  so  he  sends 
the  bracelet  —  and  I  expect  he'll  come,  himself 
before  long.  Oh !  "  she  stared  up  wildly. 


TWO  CALLERS  295 

"  It's  so  clear  —  there  can't  be  any  mistake  — 
he's  alive  and  —  and  he's  found  out  about  me 
—  he's  just  heard — "  She  flung  her  arms 
about  Jack's  neck,  and  sobbed  in  complete 
abandonment.  "  He's  alive !  And  he  cares 
for  me  —  he  thinks  abput  me  —  and  —  and 
he'll  come  —  he  must  be  coming,  he  wouldn't 
send  the  bracelet  and  leave  me  to  die  without 
knowing  more,  without  seeing  him,  without 
holding  his  hand  once  more  —  that  strong, 
rough,  faithful  hand.  .  .  .  He  wanted  me  to 
go  with  him  —  it  nearly  killed  him  because  I 
couldn't  (but  how  could  I  leave  Minna?)  and 
now  he's  coming  to  me  1  " 

Gridge  turned  away,  his  hands  covering  his 
face,  and  his  burly  form  shook  convulsively. 

"There,  there,  Mother,  dear!"  Jack  pat- 
ted her  and  whispered  soothingly,  as  to  a  very 
little  child,  "  It  will  all  be  right."  The  mist 
was  in  his  eyes. 

"  Take  the  bracelet,  Jack !  "  she  cried  in  sud- 
den thought.  "  Sell  it.  Here  —  it's  yours. 
Now  you  won't  have  to  go  to  Oklahoma, 
will  you?  You  needn't  take  Minna  away 


296        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

from  me,  you  see !  What  is  such  an  ornament 
worth?" 

"  A  thousand  dollars,"  Gridge  told  her. 

"You  hear  that?" 

"  It  might  tide  us  over  the  riffle,"  Jack  ac- 
knowledged, "  for  a  little  while.  But  it  won't 
last  much  longer  than  snow  in  summer.  No, 
you  keep  it,  Mother — " 

"  If  it  will  hold  you  near  me  for  just  a  few 
months,  that's  all  I  ask.  Life's  so  uncertain 
at  my  age  —  I  may  not  live  longer  than  the 
money'll  last.  And  then,  Zack's  coming  home, 
I  know,  I  feel  it,  I  feel  it!  If  you  must  go,  if 
Minna  is  to  live  in  another  state,  there  wouldn't 
be  anything  in  life,  anyway  —  unless  Zack 
comes  home.  But  there'll  be  so  much  more  in 
life  than  I  ever  knew  or  even  dreamed  about 
—  when  Zack  comes  home !  I  won't  seem  old 
to  Zack,  and  he'll  have  the  notion  that  all  my 
life  hasn't  been  lived;  he  always  argued  that  a 
person  should  go  ahead  as  if  he  was  to  live 
forever.  He'll  want  to  fix  up  a  little  house  for 
us,  I  expect,  and  have  a  cow  and  horse  and 
chickens  and  a  garden  —  I  know  you  think  I'm 


TWO  CALLERS  297 

talking  foolishly,  and  I  guess  I  am,  I  feel  so 
light-headed,  as  if  I  were  a  girl  ...  so  I'll 
not  talk  that  way  any  more,  for  Old  People's 
Homes  are  not  places  for  girls." 

Jack  looked  over  her  head  at  Gridge  with 
questioning  eyes.  Gridge  slowly  shook  his  head 
to  indicate  that  there  was  no  reason  to  suppose 
Zack  Flood  living  —  much,  indeed,  to  conclude 
the  contrary.  Jack  held  up  a  warning  finger: 
it  was  as  well  for  her  to  delude  herself  with  the 
fancy.  See  how  tearfully  happy  the  idea  had 
made  her!  Let  her  think  so  to  the  end,  said 
Jack's  finger  —  perhaps  the  end  was  not  so 
very  far  away,  as  she  had  said. 

When  Jack  went  out  to  his  buggy,  he  took 
the  third  diamond  with  him,  little  suspecting 
that  it  was  the  third.  Gridge  had  already 
leaped  upon  his  horse  and  dashed  away,  vainly 
seeking  to  adjust  his  thoughts  to  the  failure 
that  would  shock  the  community  with  the  mor- 
row's dawn.  Mrs.  Flood  crept  back  to  her 
room,  and  laughed  and  cried  with  broken  ejacu- 
lations, with  plaintive  moaning. 

There  was  nobody  to  put  her  arms  about 


298        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

her  like  a  daughter  and  draw  her  gray  hair  to 
a  loving  breast,  nobody  to  bathe  her  face,  and 
kneel  at  her  side,  listening  to  the  torrent  of 
words  that  told  unconsciously  of  ten  years  of 
starved  love,  of  heart-broken  longings,  of  hope 
that  dared  not  hope,  of  waiting  that  was  ever 
dumb  lest  others  grieve  to  know  she  still  be- 
lieved her  husband  would  return;  and,  at  a 
later  hour,  there  was  nobody  to  imprint  a  good- 
night kiss  upon  her  forehead,  and  encourage  her 
to  dream  her  sweetest  dreams  of  hope,  and  to 
assure  her  that  whoever  came  or  went,  one  faith- 
ful soul  would  be  true  to  her  till  death. 
Nobody, —  but  Richard. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

JUANITA'S  KISS 

JACK  PALMER  felt  depressed  as  he  drove 
out  of  sight  of  the  Home  for  Old  People 
—  of  course  he  could  not  stay  with  his 
mother-in-law  all  the  time,  nor  could  she  expect 
such  a  thing,  but  it  saddened  him  to  reflect  that 
in  her  necessary  isolation  she  must  often  feel 
lonely.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done  about 
it;  old  age  comes  and  one  is  thereby  removed 
from  any  part  in  the  world  of  to-day;  it  was 
lucky  there  were  such  asylums  as  Old  People's 
Homes  since  there  was  no  place  for  her  in  young 
people's  homes,  and  yet  it  was  a  pity.  Jack 
breathed  a  deep  sigh  at  the  cruelty  of  life. 

His  sorrow  was  almost  a  luxury  because  he 
knew  that  when  he  chose  to  put  it  aside,  happi- 
ness lay  before  him,  and  while  indulging  it,  he 
felt  disinterestedly  generous.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  mile  he  had  almost  forgotten  Mrs. 
299 


300        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Flood  in  his  satisfaction  over  the  diamond  brace- 
let. There  would  be  no  use  to  show  it  to 
Minna,  because  she  would  want  to  wear  it, 
whereas  clearly  it  should  be  sold  to  keep  them 
longer  in  Pendleton.  That  was  Mrs.  Flood's 
wish  and  it  should  be  respected,  since  the  gift 
came  from  her  —  and  it  would  put  off  that  hor- 
rible prospect  of  going  to  work  —  and,  then,  it 
would  enable  him  to  enjoy  for  some  months 
longer  —  possibly  all  summer  —  the  friendship, 
the  near,  close  friendship  of  Juanita. 

Jack  never  found  himself  wishing  that  he  had 
married  Juanita  —  doubtless  he  thought  more 
of  her  because  he  had  not.  Ten  years  with 
Minna  had  taught  him  just  how  she  would  look 
and  just  what  she  would  say  in  any  of  the  little 
stock  situations  of  daily  life,  but  about  Juanita 
you  could  never  tell.  What  she  liked  yester- 
day she  didn't  like  to-day  and  her  convictions 
of  to-day  could  not  be  guaranteed  beyond  sun- 
set. Jack  was  not  so  much  charmed  by  her 
different  phases  as  interested  in  their  swift  de- 
velopment, their  gay  evanescence.  On  that 
wonderful  voyage  to  Europe,  how  she  had 


JUANITA'S  KISS  301 

laughed  and  sung,  how  she  had  bloomed  in  the 
salt  air  —  and  in  the  absence  of  her  husband! 
How  could  she  endure  that  coarse-fibred,  heavy- 
witted,  dull-eyed  B.  M.  Gridge?  And  it  was 
for  life!  Jack  felt  sorrier  for  Juanita  than  for 
any  one  he  had  ever  known,  even  himself.  She 
was  so  little,  so  dainty,  so  pretty  —  and  Gridge 
had  habits  to  drive  one  mad,  just  little  things, 
but  eternally  coming  into  evidence  —  such  as 
taking  his  coffee  from  his  saucer.  And  he  had 
a  tooth  with  which  he  could  not  dwell  in  peace. 
Jack  squirmed  in  the  buggy  as  he  remembered 
the  torture  he  had  endured  from  its  incessant 
visitations.  What  must  Juanita  have  suffered? 
"  Poor  little  Juanita !  "  Jack  thought  he 
would  drop  around  and  see  her  that  very  even- 
ing —  after  his  wife  was  safely  off  to  the  Ladies' 
Card  Club.  Gridge  had  announced  so  oddly 
that  she  would  not  attend  the  party,  evidently  it 
was  no  case  of  illness;  there  must  have  been  a 
quarrel  —  and  heaven  knew  there  was  sufficient 
grounds  for  one.  Jack  himself  could  have 
picked  a  quarrel  with  Gridge  just  because  he  was 
Gridge, —  and  Juanita's  husband.  Yes,  he 


302        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

would  go  around  —  it  was  only  next  door,  there 
would  be  no  formality,  he  would  simply  express 
surprise  that  she  had  withheld  her  presence 
from  the  event  of  the  season  —  the  gayest  pos- 
sible function  from  which  men  were  debarred. 
And  then,  perhaps,  she  would  tell  him  the  rea- 
son, would  confide  in  him  her  wrongs, —  for 
she  was  very  confiding, —  would  look  up  into 
his  eyes  with  that  gaze  that  always  seemed  in- 
congruously deep  and  soulful  for  such  a  sweet 
little  creature.  Poor  Juanita !  yes,  he  must  see 
her  that  evening  and  cheer  her  up. 

Nobody  could  cheer  her  up  like  Jack.  She 
had  told  him  so  —  he  smiled  indulgently  as  he 
drove  on  through  the  gathering  dusk.  She  had 
never  got  over  her  sentiment  for  him,  he  was 
afraid,  but  that  did  not  make  their  friendship 
any  less  charming.  While  Minna  was  away  at 
college,  he  had  even  fancied  himself  in  love  with 
her  —  and  during  their  engagement  they  had 
acted  toward  each  other  like  real  lovers.  He 
liked  to  think  about  those  young  days  when 
kisses  bloomed  in  the  warm  spring  evenings  be- 


JUANITA'S  KISS  303 

cause  love  was  in  its  flower.  No  kisses  now,  to 
be  sure,  since  every  one  was  proper  in  Pendle- 
ton!  but  often  when  he  sat  beside  her,  those 
caresses  of  past  years  rustled  in  his  memory  like 
dried  roseleaves  in  a  drawer. 

"  Ha !  "  cried  Jack,  "  this  is  something  like !  " 
It  was  two  hours  later  and  he  had  drawn  up  his 
chair  opposite  Juanita's  by  the  open  window. 
Over  the  sill  floated  the  fragrance  of  the  warm 
night,  and  from  across  the  street,  an  arc-lamp 
shed  sufficient  light  to  reveal  the  pale  presence 
and  suggest  the  quaint  charm  of  the  woman  he 
had  once  loved.  "  Something  like  "  was  Jack's 
equivalent  for  this  perfumed  semi-darkness,  this 
nearness  of  tantalizing  womanhood,  and  the 
blissful  assurance  that  B.  M.  Gridge  was  some- 
where else.  Of  course,  had  B.  M.  Gridge  been 
there,  he  would  have  insisted,  stupidly,  on  blind- 
ing them  with  prosaic  house-lights,  and  he 
would  have  felt  obliged  to  take  a  part  in  the 
conversation,  sterilizing  it  with  politics  and  busi- 
ness. 


304        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"What!  all  in  the  dark,"  he  would  have 
exclaimed.  Then  click!  —  Oh,  that  B.  M. 
Gridge  was  such  a  bore !  Poor  Juanita  1 

Before  she  knew  it,  she  was  telling  him  all 
her  troubles;  and  before  Jack  knew  it,  he  was, 
in  his  big,  awkward,  handsome  way,  consoling 
her  with  a  voice  that  breathed  lullabies  and  a 
hand  that  could  not  keep  away. 

"We  are  ruined  —  and  to-morrow  every- 
body will  know  it  —  he  hasn't  trusted  me,  Jack, 
he  hasn't  been  true  to  me,  letting  all  this  hideous 
disgrace  swoop  upon  me  unprepared  —  no,  he 
hasn't  loved  me;  I  thought  he  did  but  I've  been 
deceived,  for  if  he  loved  me,  wouldn't  he  have 
given  me  his  confidence?  Didn't  I  tell  him  all 
about  you,  and  how  we  were  all  in  all  to  each 
other  once?  Yes,  and  how  you  used  to  —  but 
never  mind,  it  is  over.  Anyway,  I  told  him  my 
secrets  and  he  hasn't  told  me  a  thing.  No,  he 
doesn't  love  me  —  and  —  and  I  don't  love  him, 
—  there!  Isn't  it  horrible  !  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  do,  Juanita,  of  course  you  do." 

"Of  course  I  don't.  After  this  failure? 
No!  Love  him?  Him?" 


JUANITA'S  KISS  305 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  do !  "  He  did  not  know  what 
else  to  say,  so  he  said  it  again:  "  Oh,  yes,  you 
do,  Juanita  —  little  Juanita !  " 

"  I  don't,  and  you  know  I  don't.  There!  " 
And  she  covered  her  face  with  her  little  hands 
and  shook  gently.  Heavens!  How  sweet  the 
flowers  smelled  as  the  June  breeze  sent  their 
fragrance  in  delicious  puffs  over  Juanita's  head 
to  Jack's  burning  brow!  As  he  inhaled,  he 
seemed  breathing  in  Juanita,  as  if  all  out-door 
perfume  came  from  her  flower-self. 

"  And  what  will  we  do !  "  she  said,  clasping 
her  hands.  "The  store  is  shut  up  for  good; 
this  house  will  be  auctioned  off,  and  he  is  too 
old  to  start  life  all  over  —  he's  too  old.  Do 
you  know  how  old  he  is?  A  man  like  that  who 
has  lived  his  life  and  fails  in  all  his  responsibili- 
ties to  his  wife  —  fails  from  lack  of  business- 
sense  —  there's  no  place  for  him  in  this  world, 
no  place  except  something  like  that  Old  Peo- 
ple's Home.  .  .  .  That's  where  he  ought  to  be. 
Yes,  I  know  I'm  bitter,  but  I  don't  care.  He 
has  ruined  my  life  and  this  is  worse  than  death." 

"  This  is  sure  a  stunner !  "  Jack  admitted. 


306        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I  imagined  B.  M.  was  rolling  in  wealth, 
whereas  he  and  I  might  go  into  partnership  in 
misfortune.  I've  got  nothing,  either  —  I'm 
just  where  he  is  —  except  that  I  haven't  worked 
myself  to  death,  that's  one  thing  nobody  will 
ever  reproach  me  for.  Look!  Juanita,  this  is 
the  only  difference  between  your  fortune  and 
mine — "  And  he  drew  forth  the  diamond 
bracelet. 

"  Oh,  oh !  "  cried  Juanita,  as  the  distant 
light  caused  it  to  burn,  like  a  tiny  star  fallen 
through  the  dusky  night.  "  How  perfectly  — 
gorgeous!  "  She  slipped  it  upon  her  arm. 

"  That'll  keep  us  floating  awhile,"  Jack  ad- 
mitted, "  but  we'll  soon  have  to  pull  up  and  go 
out  West." 

"  And  we  won't  have  enough  to  take  us 
away!  "  said  Juanita,  admiring  the  bracelet. 
"  Oh,  Jack,  how  splendid !  Did  you  get  it 
for—" 

"  How  could  /  buy  such  a  bracelet?  No, 
Minna  has  never  seen  it.  Mother  got  it  to- 
day by  express  from  my  mysterious  father-in- 
law,  and  she  has  given  it  to  me." 


JUANITA'S  KISS  307 

As  they  talked  in  low  tones,  the  magic  of 
soft,  vague  light  on  a  woman's  face  and  form 
deepened  upon  his  senses.  It  was  natural  to 
hold  her  hand  as  he  talked  about  the  bracelet, 
it  was  natural  for  him  to  admire  the  bare  arm 
where  the  jewel  glittered,  and  it  was  natural 
for  her  admiration  of  the  gem  to  express  itself 
in  the  warm  handclasp.  And  then,  when  the 
tears  came  and  he  sought  to  show  her  that  all 
the  future  was  not  desolate,  it  was  natural  for 
her  little  head  to  droop  and  find  a  sturdy  sup- 
port. Minna  knew  nothing  of  the  diamond  as 
yet  and  need  never  see  it  since  it  was  to  be  sold 
at  once  .  .  .  she  could  never  know  how  much 
it  was  worth  except  through  his  telling. 

Suppose  —  suppose  he  found  a  place  for 
Gridge  out  in  Oklahoma;  then  there  need  be 
no  indefinite  separation  of  the  families. 

"  Don't  sell  the  diamond,  Jack!  "  she  urged, 
suddenly.  "  Don't  sell  it !  Let  your  house 
go  as  we  must  let  ours  —  hurry  to  your  new 
home  and  send  for  Mr.  Gridge.  ...  If  we 
can  be  together,  I'll  not  feel  that  life  is  dead 
ashes." 


308        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Jack  kissed  her  arm  where  the  bracelet  lent 
magic  beauty. 

"  I  thought  you'd  stay  here  in  your  fine 
house,  Jack,  and  that  we'd  be  driven  out  into 
the  street  —  that's  why  I  was  so  miserable. 
But  if  you  have  failed,  our  failure  is  a  blessing. 
It  will  keep  us  together.  Is  it  wrong  for  me 
to  want  to  see  you  every  day?  That's  all  I 
ask  of  life,  to  be  near  you.  We  thought  once 
there  was  much  more  in  life  than  that,  but 
never  mind,  we  have  that,  at  least.  I  shouldn't 
have  told  you  that  I  do  not  love  my  husband, 
but  you  knew  it,  anyway.  Didn't  you,  Jack? 
Didn't  you  always  know  it?  " 

"  Poor  Juanita  1  " 

"  You  knew  I  married  him  just  from  foolish 
pride,  didn't  you,  Jack?  " 

"Dear  Juanita!" 

"And —  and  O  Jack  —  what  shall  I  do? 
All  these  long  years  .  .  .  and  —  and  what 
can  I  do?  Because  —  I  am  so  miserable,  all 
the  time — " 

Her  arms  were  about  his  neck,  now,  and  their 
lips  met  in  a  fierce,  mad  kiss.  It  was  the  more 


JUANITA'S  KISS  309 

passionate,  the  more  prolonged,  because  from 
the  day  of  their  first  kiss,  her  love  had  never 
lessened.  Throughout  her  aimless  life  that 
one  thing  had  remained  permanent,  all-absorb- 
ing, and  her  embrace  was  the  more  intense  be- 
cause during  these  past  years  she  had  never  once 
imagined  that  her  secret  would  be  revealed. 
It  was  as  if  one  about  to  suffocate  should  sud- 
denly break  the  window  of  a  stifling  prison-cell 
and  find  one's  lungs  unexpectedly  filled  with  life- 
giving  air.  She  was  panting,  as  if  at  the  end 
of  a  race,  while  he  held  her  from  the  floor  in 
his  great  arm. 

"Jack!  Jack!  You  love  me,  too!  You 
love  me  after  all.  This  —  this  is  just  the  be- 
ginning. .  .  .  And  we  might  have  —  all  the 
time,  we  might  have  — "  In  the  free,  wild  air 
rushing  through  her  broken  prison-window, 
there  thrilled  a  million  voices  of  ecstatic  hope. 
Her  heart  surged  with  strange  exaltation  as  if 
she  had  just  begun  to  live. 

"  Poor,  poor  Juanita !  "  He  set  her  feet 
upon  the  ground  and  gently  removed  her  arms. 
It  was  no  longer  "  Dear  Juanita  "  even  in  his 


3io        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

imagination.  "We  mustn't,  you  know,  it  — 
it  won't  do,  you  see."  To  have  saved  his  life 
he  couldn't  have  helped  kissing  her  —  for 
years  he  had  tantalized  himself  with  wonder- 
ing how  it  would  be  if  their  lips  met  —  if  he 
should  suddenly  seize  her  in  his  arms  and  lift 
her  to  his  heart  as  when  they  were  boy  and 
girl.  Now  he  knew  how  it  was,  and  he  was 
content.  He  had  kissed  her  again,  it  was 
enough.  He  had  felt  her  arms  tighten  about 
his  neck  and  it  was  like  reaching  the  last  word 
of  a  delightful  story,  a  story  without  a  sequel, 
complete  in  itself. 

"Jack!" 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  you  see  — "  He  felt  in- 
adequate to  the  situation. 

"  You  love  me,  Jack,  now  I  know  it.  You 
have  betrayed  yourself,  just  as  I  —  and  I  never 
meant  to  tell  you,  never,  never.  But  before  I 
knew,  I  was  showing  you  my  heart.  And  I 
have  seen  your  heart,  at  last." 

"  But  you  see,  Juanita  — you  know  very  well 
that  —  that  — " 

A  heavy  step  was  heard  on  the  porch.     "  O 


JUANITA'S  KISS  311 

Jack,  he  mustn't  find  us  here  all  in  the  darkness 
—  quick,  this  side  door." 

"But—" 

"  But  if  he  comes  in,  I  —  you  —  oh,  please 
hurry,  please  hurry  —  he'd  read  our  faces  — 
my  face  —  and  he's  desperate,  to-night  — 
there,  he's  in  the  hall!  Jack  —  if  you  love 
me!" 

She  held  open  a  door  that  led  out  upon  the 
piazza  overlooking  the  garden. 

"  No,"  said  Jack,  stepping  to  the  wall  and 
switching  on  the  electric  light,  "  I'll  take  what's 
coming  to  me.  Close  your  door,  Juanita." 

"  But  I  tell  you  he's  mad,  to-night  —  I  tell 
you  he's  lost  his  senses." 

"  Well,  I  haven't.  ...  Not  yet.  And  I'm 
not  going  to  run  away." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   DIAMOND  BRACELET 

G  RIDGE  opened  the  door  loudly  and 
looked   into    the    room,    turning   his 
head  from  side  to  side.     Juanita  had 
swiftly  closed  the  outer  door,  but  still  stood 
near  it,  trying  to  make  it  appear  that  she  was 
there  by  accident,  though  her  cheeks  burned,  her 
bosom  heaved. 

Looking  at  Jack  distrustfully,  the  merchant 
asked,  "Were  you  both  in  the  dark?  Oh, 
you  needn't  have  turned  on  the  light  for  me." 
"  There  was  light  enough  outdoors  for  us," 
Jack  explained,  "  but  I  thought  you  liked  it 
brighter." 

The  other  came  into  the  room,  closing  the 
door.  "Where  did  you  get  that?"  he  asked, 
his  eyes  riveted  upon  his  wife. 

Her  eyes  were  wide  open,  fixed  without  un- 
derstanding. 

31* 


THE  DIAMOND  BRACELET     313 

Gridge  pointed  at  her  arm.  "  That,"  he 
said,  roughly. 

Juanita  looked  down.  She  had  forgotten 
the  diamond  bracelet.  She  caught  her  breath. 
"Oh  — that?" 

He  looked  at  her  as  if  seeking  to  pierce  her 
soul  with  his  relentless  gaze. 

A  long  pause  of  absolute  stillness ;  then  — 

"  It's  a  friend's,"  she  explained,  holding 
up  her  head  as  if  indignant  at  some  covert 
taunt  "  There  are  still  some  who  trust  me 
and  love  me  —  and  she  — " 

"  She?  "  echoed  her  husband,  with  a  sneer. 

"  Yes,  she !  My  friend  insisted  on  my 
wearing  her  bracelet  for  awhile."  Juanita 
rapidly  regained  composure  as  she  continued: 
"  I  told  her  I  might  lose  it,  I  told  her  you 
wouldn't  think  it  right  just  at  the  time  you  have 
failed  and  haven't  a  penny  in  the  world,  but 
she  insisted  —  she  made  me  consent." 

Gridge  turned  to  Jack:  "Nice  to  have  a 
friend  like  that,  don't  you  think?  "  Then  to 
Juanita,  with  a  smile  of  scorn :  "  Why,  I  saw 
Mrs.  Flood  give  Jack  that  bracelet  not  four 


314        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

hours  ago.  Zack  placed  it  in  my  care  and  it 
was  I  who  gave  it  to  Mrs.  Flood." 

Juanita    was    transfixed.     She    looked    from 

one  to  the  other,  turning  red  and  pale  by  turns. 

4  That's  right,"  Jack  assented,  prosaically. 

Gridge  laughed,  unpleasantly. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  saw  given  Mr.  Pal- 
mer, or  what  you  didn't  see  given  him  " —  al- 
ready Juanita  had  rallied  bravely — "and  I 
don't  care.  All  I  know  is  that  Minna  gave 
me  the  bracelet  to  wear.  Of  course  if  Mr. 
Palmer  gave  her  the  bracelet,  there  was  noth- 
ing to  keep  her  from  giving  it  to  me  for  a 
little  while.  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by 
your  looks  and  your  tone  of  voice  and  your 
way  of  standing  there  as  if  you  imagined  your- 
self a  judge  ready  to  pronounce  some  sort  of 
sentence." 

"  Oh,  no,"  Gridge  retorted,  "  I'm  not  going 
to  pronounce  any  sort  of  sentence,  I  mean  to 
execute  the  sentence  that  your  own  conscience 
has  pronounced.  Minna  never  gave  you  that 
diamond;  she  is  at  the  party  and  couldn't  have 
given  it  to  you  while  I  was  from  home,  and  I 


THE  DIAMOND  BRACELET     315 

was  here  until  she  left  her  house.  I  don't 
imagine  she  sent  it  to  you  by  Jack!  I  don't 
think  she  knows  anything  about  it." 

"  You  mean,  then,  that  I  am  not  telling  you 
the  truth,  Mr.  Gridge?" 

"He  gave  you  the  bracelet!  He  gave  it 
to  you  here  —  in  the  dark  —  of  course  it  was 
light  enough  for  you  two  —  people  don't  have 
to  turn  on  the  electric  light  to  make  such  pres- 
ents." Suddenly  his  voice  trembled  with  pas- 
sion :  "  Juanita,  take  off  that  bracelet  and 
throw  it  at  his  feet." 

She  turned  scarlet  and  threw  back  her  head 
in  flashing  defiance.  "  I  am  not  your  slave." 
She  held  out  her  arm.  "  Well,  yes,  he  did  give 
it  to  me.  And  it  shall  stay  on  my  arm  until 
he  orders  me  to  return  it." 

"  I  have  seen  this  for  years,"  her  husband 
said,  slowly.  "  I  thought  after  our  marriage 
that  you'd  forget  your  broken  engagement, — 
broken  through  no  fault  of  yours.  He  cared 
more  for  Minna,  and  I  believed  that  would 
give  you  some  pride  if  you'd  never  had  any  be- 
fore. That's  why  I  didn't  object  to  your 


316        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

friendship.  I  couldn't  think  you  such  a  fool 
as  to  go  on  caring  for  a  man  who  cared  so 
little  for  you.  So,  although  I've  seen  your 
petty  plays  of  sentiment  for  years,  although  I 
knew  you  went  to  Europe  simply  because  he 
went,  it  didn't  seem  dangerous.  I  give  you 
my  word  of  honor  that  had  I  suspected  harm 
could  come  of  your  liking  for  Jack,  I'd  have 
taken  you  away,  or  driven  him  away.  Because 
I  knew  he  never  loved  you,  and  my  God,  how 
I  have  loved  you  —  until  to-day!  " 

"  B.  M.,"  cried  Jack,  hotly,  "  a  fellow  can't 
stand  this,  you  know.  Just  because  I  slipped 
that  bracelet  on  Juanita's  arm  — " 

"Take  it  off!"  cried  Gridge,  loudly. 
"  Fling  it  upon  the  floor."  His  eyes  flashed. 

"  Keep  it  on!  "  shouted  Jack,  stung  to  des- 
peration. This  merchant  thought  to  intimidate 
him! 

"  Oh,  I'm  going  to  let  you  have  her,"  Gridge 
said,  between  his  teeth,  "  just  as  soon  as  we 
can  get  a  divorce.  Don't  be  uneasy  about  that, 
Jack;  cover  her  with  diamonds  from  head  to 
foot  as  soon  as  she's  free  —  that'll  be  between 


THE  DIAMOND  BRACELET     317 

you  and  Minna.  But  as  long  as  she's  my  wife, 
I  swear  she'll  not  wear  the  jewels  of  any  other 
man.  I'm  done  with  you,  Juanita  —  you 
showed  me  your  soul  to-day  and  little  as  you 
are,  it's  too  small  for  your  body.  But  we've 
still  got  the  name  of  man  and  wife  —  Take 
off  that  bracelet." 

"And  I  say,  no,  no,  no!  That  bracelet 
comes  off  only  on  one  condition  —  that  the  one 
who  gave  it  to  me  asks  it  back.  And  I've 
nothing  else  to  say  to  you." 

"  Then  he  must  ask  it  back." 

"Must  I?"  cried  Jack.  "Well,  I  think 
not!  No,  keep  it,  Juanita." 

"  He  doesn't  love  you,  Juanita.  He  never 
did.  And  he's  telling  you  to  keep  that  brace- 
let through  pure  obstinacy.  Are  you  going  to 
let  one  of  us  be  killed  before  your  eyes,  on 
account  of  that  trinket?  —  for  both  of  us  can't 
live  if  it  stays  on  your  arm."  Despite  his  level 
voice,  his  steady  hand,  his  slow  movements,  he 
gave  an  impression  of  intensity  difficult  to  ex- 
plain. It  was  the  stranger  because  found  in  a 
man  naturally  commonplace,  but  he  burned  none 


318        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

the  less  fiercely  because  the  kindling  had  been 
slow. 

Juanita  smiled  at  him  scornfully,  not  com- 
prehending. "  Oh,  is  it  as  bad  as  that?  "  she 
mocked. 

"  And  you,"  exclaimed  her  husband,  turning 
upon  Jack,  "  can  be  false  to  a  woman  like 
Minna  for  a  creature  like  that!  But  please 
wait  until  the  courts  set  us  free.  Will  you  ask 
back  that  bracelet?" 

"  No,  I'll  not  ask  it  back.  She  shall  have  it. 
She  shall  keep  it,  yes,  forever.  It's  hers.  I 
give  it  to  her.  And  what  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it?  You  failed  in  business  and  that's 
made  you  crazy.  You  come  here  insulting  your 
wife  and  insulting  me  and  insulting  Minna, 
and  I'm  not  going  to  stand  it.  I've  been  pa- 
tient with  you,  but  there  are  some  things  that 
a  man  can't  endure." 

Gridge  drew  his  revolver,  causing  Juanita 
to  utter  a  scream  which  drowned  the  peal  of 
the  doorbell,  and  the  sound  of  footsteps. 

"  I  haven't  anything  to  live  for,"  Gridge 
said,  grimly.  "  You  have  two  women  to  look 


THE  DIAMOND  BRACELET     319 

after,  it  seems;  I  don't  know  but  your  part  is 
the  worse.  We'll  leave  it  to  Juanita:  Here, 
my  wife,  take  the  weapon  and  hand  it  to  the 
one  you  choose,  husband  or  lover  —  you  will 
do  admirably  for  an  impartial  judge!  .  .  . 
Oh,  no,  I  see  you  mean  to  fling  it  out  the  win- 
dow. That  won't  do.  Will  you  draw  straws, 
Jack?" 

"  Gridge,  you're  a  fool." 

"  Oh,  yes,  all  three  of  us  are  fools.  There 
are  very  few  wise  men  nowadays.  Wfien  I 
first  realized  that  we  were  utterly  ruined,  I 
got  my  pistol  —  but  there  was  Juanita  and 
I  was  fool  enough  to  think  she  might  stand  by 
me,  so  I  didn't  kill  myself  —  for  her  sake ! 
But  she's  fool  enough  to  love  a  man  that 
doesn't  care  for  her  —  and  you  are  fool 
enough  to  hold  your  tongue  when  a  word  would 
save  a  life  and  a  double  dishonor." 

At  the  other's  contemptuous  smile,  he  lost  all 
self-control.  "  Jack,  you  think  you  know  me, 
but  you're  mistaken.  I  offered  you  a  chance, 
and  you  wouldn't  take  it.  I'm  quite  desperate, 
I  don't  care  what  I  do.  Perhaps  as  you  say, 


320        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

I'm  crazy;  it's  certain  that  the  longer  I  see 
that  devil's  glitter  on  my  wife's  arm,  the  nearer 
I  find  myself  about  to  kill  you  where  you 
stand."  The  last  words  came  through  clenched 
teeth. 

"  Wait  I  "  cried  Juanita,  in  wild  haste.  "  I 
will  take  it  off."  She  wrenched  at  the  brace- 
let but  it  defied  her  quivering  fingers.  She  ut- 
tered a  terrified  shriek  as  the  weapon  was 
raised,  while  Jack,  pale  but  seemingly  com- 
posed, with  folded  arms,  big  and  handsome, 
stood  looking  his  enemy  in  the  eye. 

The  door  was  opened  by  the  maid,  but  at 
sound  of  the  terrified  cry  two  arrivals,  lingering 
behind,  brushed  past  her  into  the  room.  One 
was  Minna  Palmer  in  her  party-dress.  The 
other  was  her  father. 

Jack,  not  daring  to  release  Gridge  from  his 
steady  gaze,  was  subtly  aware  of  his  wife's 
presence,  and  his  mind  leapt  back  to  the  day 
when  he  had  stood  facing  her  father's  gun,  ten 
years  ago. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FACE   TO   FACE 

MINNA,  still  dazed  by  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  her  father  at  the 
Ladies'  Card  Club,  as  by  the  appari- 
tion of  one  returned  from  the  dead,  stared  be- 
fore her  uncomprehendingly,  but  only  for  a  mo- 
ment. Juanita's  scream  had  sounded  terror  — 
the  pistol  in  Gridge's  hand  must  have  been  the 
cause  of  it.  That  any  one  in  a  well-appointed 
drawing-room  should  have  in  his  possession  a 
weapon,  much  more  that  he  should  hold  it  in 
threatening  attitude,  seemed  as  fantastic  as  an 
incongruous  nightmare  wherein  savagery  and 
civilization  go  arm-in-arm.  But  in  a  flash  of 
thought  every  consideration  was  burned  from 
her  consciousness  save  the  vital  fact  of  her  hus- 
band's danger. 

She  rushed  to  where  Jack  stood  with  his  back 
to  the  open  window,  and  threw  her  arms  about 
321 


322        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

him,  thus  interposing  her  body  between  him 
and  danger.  That  is  what  Juanita  would  like 
to  have  done,  if  she  had  not  been  afraid  the 
pistol  might  explode.  Minna  thought  only 
that  if  it  did,  the  bullet  must  penetrate  her  own 
flesh  before  it  could  harm  her  darling. 

She  looked  at  Gridge  from  over  her  shoul- 
der. "  Oh,  you  wicked  man ! "  she  cried, 
fiercely.  "  You!  Have  you  lost  your  senses? 
Oh,  you  wicked  man !  "  There  was  such  pas- 
sion of  indignation  in  her  deepened  voice  that 
Gridge,  who  had  already  lowered  the  weapon, 
hung  his  head,  ashamed.  Matters  stood  pre- 
cisely as  before,  and  yet  everything  seemed 
changed  by  her  attitude  of  supreme  devotion. 
He  no  longer  wanted  to  kill  Jack,  or  to  die  — 
in  the  supreme  moment,  anything  might  have 
happened  to  furnish  lifelong  remorse,  but  that 
moment  was  gone  forever  and  his  bewildered 
brain  sought  for  some  plausible  explanation  of 
his  tragic  pose. 

Zack  Flood,  saved  from  recognition  by  his 
long  beard,  his  mass  of  unkempt  hair,  his  stoop- 
ing form,  his  workman's  clothes,  coughing 


FACE  TO  FACE  323 

loudly  as  he  moved,  shut  the  door  that  the  serv- 
ants might  not  overhear. 

"  After  all  our  kindness  to  you !  "  Minna 
still  addressed  B.  M.  Gridge.  "  After  all  we 
have  done  —  listening  to  your  long  stories  and 
making  you  welcome  whenever  you  came  — 
and  we  thought  you  such  a  good  man,  so  harm- 
less and  —  and  retiring !  And  look  at  you, 
to-night,  a  highwayman.  .  .  .  With  that 
pistol  — " 

"  I  was  —  I  was  just  showing  it  to  Jack," 
faltered  Gridge,  bending  before  the  storm. 

"  Show  it  to  me,"  said  Zack  Flood,  stepping 
forward. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Minna,  "  give  that  horrid 
thing  to  Father  —  how  can  we  draw  a  free 
breath  while  it's  in  your  hand?  Oh,  oh,  you 
wicked  man !  " 

"  Give  it  to  —  your  father? "  faltered 
Gridge,  shrinking  back. 

"  Yes,  that's  me,"  said  Zack,  taking  the 
weapon  from  the  nerveless  hand.  "  No  won- 
der you  don't  recognize  me  — "  he  stopped  to 
cough  violently.  "  Oh,  my  back  —  my  back ! 


324        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

I'm  not  good  for  this  world,  I  reckon.  You 
must  have  had  a  sort  of  premonition  when  we 
met  out  on  the  farm  —  Porter's  farm  that  was 
once  Palmer's  farm.  But  of  course  you 
couldn't  know  your  old  friend  —  such  a  wreck 
—  one  foot  in  the  grave  .  .  ."  He  bent  al- 
most double  with  his  racking  cough  from 
which  he  had  been  singularly  free  that  after- 
noon. 

"My  God!"  muttered  Gridge,  retreating 
farther. 

"But  I  say!"  cried  Jack,  putting  his 
wife  aside,  "  this  can't  be  your  father  can  it, 
Minna?  Why,  your  father  was  entirely  unlike 
this—" 

"  I'm  changed,"  Zack  coughed.  "  Oh,  my 
back,  my  back!  We're  all  miserable  mortals. 
I'm  here  to  live  with  you,  children,  to  be  taken 
care  of  in  my  old  age.  Isn't  anybody  glad  to 
see  me?  Not  one  hand  stretched  forth  in  wel- 
come! Oh,  my  back!  When  I  went  to  your 
house  and  they  told  me  Minna  was  at  the 
party,  I  couldn't  wait,  I  was  so  eager  to  see 
her.  But  she  wasn't  eager  to  see  me."  He 


FACE  TO  FACE  325 

shook  his  head.  "  I  think  she's  sorry  I  came. 
She  was  in  the  middle  of  a  game  of  cards. 
That  game  will  never  be  finished  —  such  a  pity, 
such  a  pity!  " 

"  By  George !  "  muttered  Jack,  looking  upon 
the  disreputable  figure  in  the  greatest  pertur- 
bation. "  What  on  earth  are  we  to  do, 
Minna?" 

"  Do?  "  The  old  man  caught  at  the  word. 
"  There's  nothing  to  do  but  give  me  a  place  at 
your  table  and  a  warm  corner  by  your  fireside 
when  the  winter  winds  howl.  Oh,  there's 
nothing  to  do  —  I'll  not  last  long,  I  dare  say. 
Give  me  your  hand,  Jack,  and  say  you  are  glad 
to  see  me." 

"Give  you  my  hand?  After  the  way  you 
deserted  your  wife  leaving  her  to  think  you 
dead  —  and  now  coming  back  like  a  tramp  ? 
Well,  all  right,  if  Minna  stands  for  it.  Of 
course,  if  Minna  cares  to  share  her  last  crust 
with  the  father  that's  disgraced  her,  she  may 
—  and  we've  about  come  to  the  last  crust,  if 
it's  any  comfort  for  you  to  know." 

"  Oh,  we're  all  miserable  mortals !  "  whined 


326        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

the  wanderer,  turning  to  Gridge.  "  Come, 
B.  M. —  you  were  my  bosom  friend;  you're 
glad  to  see  me,  aren't  you  ?  Let  me  grasp  that 
honest  hand  once  more,  old  fellow  —  oh,  my 
back,  my  back !  " 

"  If  your  own  children  disown  you,  Flood, 
don't  come  to  me,"  stammered  Gridge,  his  face 
darkening.  "  I'm  ruined  —  I  have  nothing. 
Don't  expect  me  to  be  true  to  my  friends  when 
nobody  is  true  to  me  —  nobody,  I  say."  He 
turned  upon  Juanita.  "  Leave  the  room, 
Juanita !  "  He  grasped  her  arm.  "  Go  —  I 
must  talk  to  this  man  alone."  He  was  so  mas- 
tered by  torturing  fears  that  his  very  form  was 
shrunken. 

"Don't  make  her  go,  yet!"  cried  Zack, 
reaching  the  halldoor  with  surprising  agility. 
"  Maybe  she'll  give  me  a  kind  word  —  a  warm 
handshake  .  .  .  it'll  be  worth  so  much  to  me; 
I'm  getting  hungry  for  a  little  kindness." 

"  Stand  aside!  "  Gridge  gasped,  breathlessly. 

"  Take  your  hand  from  her  arm,  B.  M.  Let 
her  at  least  shake  hands  with  me." 

"  Let   me   pass,    Mr.    Flood,"    Juanita    ex- 


FACE  TO  FACE  327 

citedly  commanded.  "  I  have  no  time  for 
you." 

"  You  see,  Father,"  Minna  spoke  up  with  ex- 
ceeding bitterness,  "  nobody  can  be  glad  to  see 
you  after  the  cloud  you've  cast  upon  your  fam- 
ily. Nobody  knows  where  you've  been,  or  how 
you've  lived;  have  you  come  back  here  expect- 
ing the  town  to  throw  open  their  doors?  Don't 
you  realize  that  your  presence  reminds  every- 
body of  the  old  disgrace?"  The  tears  came 
to  her  reproachful  eyes. 

"  Oh,  we're  all  miserable  mortals !  "  mum- 
bled Zack.  "  Take  your  hand  from  her  arm, 
B.  M." 

"  If  you  don't  get  out  of  the  way,"  Gridge 
said  through  his  teeth,  "  so  Juanita  can  go 
through  that  door,  I'll  use  force." 

"Use  force?  On  an  old  weak  man  like 
me?" 

Stung  to  desperation,  Gridge  shot  out  his 
clenched  fist.  The  blow,  aimed  at  the  other's 
shoulder  was  evaded,  and  the  next  moment 
Gridge  was  sent  reeling  back  against  the  wall. 

"  By  George !  "  Jack  exclaimed,  with  a  short 


328         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

laugh,  "  that  back  of  yours  flies  back  as  if  on 
springs!"  The  next  instant  his  face  length- 
ened as  he  caught  sight  of  the  diamond  bracelet 
glittering  on  the  freed  arm.  Then  he  realized 
that  it  was  in  order  to  hide  that  ornament  that 
Gridge  had  grasped  her  arm,  and  that  for  the 
same  reason  Juanita  had  tamely  submitted. 

She  would  have  darted  through  the  door 
had  not  Flood  stood  in  the  way.  As  the  latter 
looked  at  Gridge  who  remained  motionless 
against  the  wall  where  he  had  been  thrust,  Zack 
forgot  to  stoop  or  cough.  There  was  in  the 
wanderer's  eyes  a  look  that  burned  to  the  depth 
of  the  merchant's  soul. 

"  You  have  given  your  wife  a  pretty  brace- 
let," he  said,  his  voice  sounding  out  clear  and 
vibrant.  "  And  it  is  one  I  have  seen  before." 
He  wheeled  upon  Juanita  so  suddenly  that  she 
turned  deathly  pale.  "  Did  you  know  that  I 
had  seen  it  before?  " 

"  Yes."  The  faint  assent  was  forced  from 
her  frightened  lips. 

Minna  looked  in  bewilderment  at  Jack  and 
was  astonished  to  find  him  turning  red. 


FACE  TO  FACE  329 

Where  could  Juanita  have  got  such  a  valuable 
bracelet  on  the  night  before  her  husband's  fail- 
ure? Oh,  that  wicked  B.  M.  Gridge,  to  go 
into  bankruptcy  while  his  wife  was  decked  with 
jewels ! 

Zack  held  Juanita  with  his  relentless  eyes: 
"  Did  you  know  I  gave  that  bracelet  to  your 
husband  in  trust  for  my  wife?" 

Again  her  answer  came  faint,  mechanical, 
"  Not  at  first." 

"  But  you  took  it  from  him,  you  are  wearing 
it  while  my  wife,  for  whom  it  was  intended,  is 
out  there  —  shut  up  in  that  Home !  " 

Juanita  was  mute. 

"  Intended  for  Mother?"  exclaimed  Minna. 
"  The  bracelet  was  left  for  Mother?  You  hear 
that,  Jack?  Oh  —  I  begin  to  understand  .  .  . 
but  who  could  have  imagined  that  Juanita 
would  stoop  so  low!  No  wonder  Mr.  Gridge 
draws  his  revolvers  and  threatens  to  kill  every- 
body. Juanita,  oh,  Juanita,  how  I  have  been 
deceived  in  you !  —  taking  the  diamond  —  and 
Mr.  Gridge  giving  it  to  you  —  the  diamond 
that  belongs  to  Mother.  My  poor,  dear 


330        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

mother,  how  she  has  been  deceived  .  .  .  how 
I  have  been  deceived  —  and  Jack !  " 

"  Yes!  "  her  father  cried,  "  and  if  I'd  never 
come  back,  you'd  never  have  known.  They'd 
have  kept  it,  those  two  —  my  friend  and  his 
wife.  And  to  think  that  I  used  to  believe  in 
friendship !  "  Suddenly  he  remembered  the 
part  he  had  intended  to  preserve.  "  But,  oh, 
my  back  —  my  back !  This  is  too  much  excite- 
ment for  a  worn-out  wretch  like  me,  far  too 
much.  You're  glad  I  came  now,  I  hope,  my 
children.  You'll  shelter  me,  I  know.  I've  re- 
turned to  make  my  home  with  you  till  I  die." 

"  Get  the  bracelet  from  her,  Jack,"  cried 
Minna,  her  eyes  flashing. 

"  Minna,  you'll  let  me  live  with  you,  won't 
you,  my  daughter?  " 

"  She  whom  I  thought  my  friend !  "  Minna 
flashed.  "  I  don't  know  her.  No  wonder  she 
looks  so  strange !  Get  that  bracelet,  Jack !  " 

"  You  can't  live  with  us,  Mr.  Flood,"  expos- 
tulated Jack,  not  daring  to  look  at  Juanita. 
"  We're  going  to  rough  it  in  Oklahoma  on  our 
quarter-section.  But  I'll  do  my  best  to  get  you 


FACE  TO  FACE  331 

in  where  your  wife  is,  although  the  Home  is 
crowded.  We'll  do  what  we  can  for  you." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  son-in-law,  you  are  just  the 
same,  you  haven't  changed  a  mite!  But  are 
you  going  to  let  Juanita  keep  that  bracelet?  — 
she  hasn't  shame  enough  to  give  it  up !  Minna 
wears  the  diamond  butterfly,  I  see.  Of  course 
her  mother  gave  it  to  her,  but  where's  the  dia- 
mond necklace?  " 

The  merchant  uttered  a  groan  and  cowered 
back  in  an  agony  of  remorse. 

"The  necklace!"  echoed  Minna,  her  eyes 
blazing.  "  She  had  that,  too !  Oh,  I  see ! 
So  that  was  mother's,  as  well?  Juanita  wore 
it  till  she  sold  it  to  raise  enough  to  take  her  to 
Europe.  You  see,  sir,"  turning  upon  her 
father,  "  what  your  wandering  the  face  of  the 
earth  has  done  for  Mr.  Gridge —  you  have 
been  supporting  his  wife,  buying  her  pleasures 
—  it  was  very  generous  of  you  —  while  your 
own  daughter  was  mortified  half  to  death !  " 

"Is  this  true?"  Juanita  turned  upon  her 
husband  a  face  oddly  sharp  in  all  its  lines. 
"Was  that  necklace  stolen,  also?" 


332        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Why  do  you  say  '  stolen  also  '?  "  exclaimed 
Gridge,  stung  to  desperation.  "  I  never  gave 
you  that  bracelet." 

"  Oh,  you  didn't !  "  she  retorted.  "  Then 
how  came  it  on  my  arm?  " 

Jack  paled  with  sudden  hope. 

"  Juanita !  "  cried  her  husband.  "  My  God, 
how  I  have  been  deceived  in  you !  " 

"  I  think  we  are  all  more  or  less  deceived  in 
one  another,"  remarked  Zack  Flood,  "  and  all 
more  or  less  guilty.  So  you  gave  my  jewels  to 
your  wife,  did  you,  B.  M.?" 

"  I  let  her  wear  the  necklace  —  there  seemed 
no  harm  in  that,  until  Mrs.  Flood  should  need 
it,  according  to  your  instructions.  When  she 
sold  it  to  raise  money  for  her  voyage,  I  saw 
no  harm  in  that,  either,  meaning  to  refund; 
but  I've  had  bad  luck  for  years.  Everything 
goes  wrong  and  now  I'm  ruined.  I  swear  to 
you  I  had  no  other  thought  but  to  pay  back  — 
and  now  I  can't,  and  as  I  can't,  it's  as  Juanita 
said  —  I  stole  .  .  .  I'm  a  thief !  When  I  saw 
how  it  was  ending,  I  bought  the  pistol  meaning 
to  put  an  end  to  myself  as  well;  perhaps  I 


FACE  TO  FACE  333 

should,  if  you  and  Minna  hadn't  come  when 
you  did." 

"  Sorry  I  interrupted  any  of  your  plans," 
said  Zack,  grimly.  "  When  you  told  me,  out 
on  Porter's  farm  —  that  used  to  be  the  Palmer 
farm  —  how  you'd  been  given  only  one  dia- 
mond, the  butterfly,  I  suspected  what  had  hap- 
pened —  that's  why  I  came  to  town  —  couldn't 
wait.  And  it  seems  I'm  in  time  to  capture  the 
bracelet  before  Juanita  goes  to  some  foreign 
land  on  it." 

"  I  say,  Mr.  Flood,"  interposed  Jack,  in  des- 
peration, "  you're  too  hard  on  Gridge,  you 
know.  About  the  necklace,  it's  between  him 
and  you.  But  as  for  this  bracelet,  he  gave  it 
to  Mother  all  right,  this  very  evening  —  after 
he'd  had  his  talk  with  you,  I  suppose.  And 
Mother  gave  it  to  me.  Understand?  " 

Minna  looked  at  him  blankly.  "  /  don't  un- 
derstand, at  all." 

"  It's  very  simple,"  Jack  protested. 

Juanita  flashed  a  warning  glance  at  him  and 
said,  "  He  wants  to  shield  Mr.  Gridge,  I  sup- 
pose." 


334        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  He  need  not,"  Gridge  declared,  drawing 
himself  up.  "  I  deserve  the  punishment,  and 
I'll  take  it  in  silence." 

'  Yes,  but  I've  got  myself  to  consider,  you 
know,"  Jack  explained,  "  my  own  conscience. 
I  gave  Juanita  that  bracelet  and  I  can't  keep 
still  any  longer  and  have  people  accusing  Gridge 
of  giving  it  to  her.  I've  no  defense  to  make 
of  Gridge  about  the  necklace  —  he  was  a  scoun- 
drel, pure  and  simple;  but  I'm  not  exactly 
blameless  myself,  about  the  bracelet.  I  see 
that  now.  At  the  time  I  —  I  was  thinking  of 
something  else  —  not  the  moral  point  of  view. 
But  I  see  it  now.  I  shouldn't  have  let  Juanita 
have  the  bracelet.  You  see,  I  was  just  show- 
ing it  to  her,  and  she  tried  it  on.  That's  how 
she  came  by  it,  she  was  trying  it  on.  Gridge 
came  here  and  made  such  a  scene  that  I  got 
stubborn,  but  that  was  all  it  amounted  to,  she 
was  trying  it  on." 

"  Jack !  "     His  wife  grew  frightfully  pale. 
'  You  didn't  come  here  with  that  bracelet  be- 
cause you  —  because  you  —  because  you  care 
for  .      ." 


FACE  TO  FACE  335 

"  I've  never  cared  for  anybody  but  you, 
Minna,  and  you  know  it." 

"  I  couldn't  bear  it,  Jack  —  I  should  die  if 
you  —  you,  too.  .  .  .  Father  failed  me,  and 
now  if  you  — " 

"  But,  my  darling,  there  was  nothing  of  the 
kind.  Don't  look  so  frightened,  everything  is 
all  right.  You  are  all  in  all  to  me,  and  I 
couldn't  care  for  anybody  else  if  I  wanted  to. 
I  might  try  —  I  might  deceive  myself  with  the 
idea  that  somebody  else  was  more  attractive  in 
a  certain  sort  of  way  —  but  it  wouldn't  be  any 
use.  Because  I  love  you,  don't  you  see?  It's 
a  question  of  love,  with  us.  We're  just  suited 
to  each  other.  Juanita  tried  it  on,  that's 
all." 

Juanita  tore  the  bracelet  from  her  arm,  and 
flung  it  at  his  feet.  After  that  one  frantic  ef- 
fort of  strength,  she  seemed  about  to  fall. 
Then  she  made  a  step  toward  B.  M.  Gridge. 
'  You  see  .  .  .  how  you  were  mistaken,"  she 
stammered,  with  a  little  shiver. 

Jack  picked  up  the  bracelet  and  fitted  it  to 
Minna's  arm.  Her  bosom  was  heaving  with 


336         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

tempestuous  sobs,  but  she  threw  her  arms  about 
him  in  passionate  joy. 

"  She's  nothing  to  you,  is  she,  Jack?  " 

"  Nobody's  anything  to  me  but  you,  dear. 
Out  yonder  in  Oklahoma  we'll  have  each  other 
and  we'll  get  away  from  all  this  confounded 
complication,  and  there  you'll  be  happy  and 
I'll  work  — oh,  Lord!" 

"  And  If  "  cried  Zack,  beginning  to  cough. 

"  The  Old  People's  Home's  for  you,  I 
guess,"  remarked  Jack,  "  unless  you  can  dig 
up  some  more  diamonds.  There,  there, 
Minna,  everything's  all  right  —  everything's 
bound  to  be,  you  know.  It  always  has  been; 
don't  worry.  Juanita  just  tried  it  on." 

"  But,  oh,  Jack  —  oh,  Jack,  I'm  afraid  you 

—  that  you  tried  it  on  just  a  little,  yourself!  " 
"  But  I   don't  see  why  you  can't  cheer  up, 

dear,  when  everything's  all  right.  If  there 
was  anything  to  cry  about,  I'd  cry  too.  There 

—  there !  "     He  patted  her  affectionately,  im- 
mensely relieved  that  the  break  with  Juanita 
was  now  irreparable.     Why  he  had  spent  so 
many  hours  dreaming  of  her  childish  charms, 


FACE  TO  FACE  337 

why  he  had  been  on  the  verge  of  ruining  him- 
self and  breaking  Minna's  heart  for  one  kiss 
of  those  lips  that  could  never  again  stir  his 
imagination,  for  one  embrace  of  that  form  that 
had  miraculously  lost  all  appeal,  was  so  far 
beyond  comprehension  that  in  his  bewildered 
state  the  old  reliable  love  of  Minna  seemed 
the  only  firm  ground  for  his  feet.  He  stood 
upon  that  ground,  therefore,  and  he  maintained 
it,  letting  the  consequences  to  others  be  what 
they  might. 

The  same  reckless  pride  that  had  prompted 
Juanita  to  marry  another  when  her  girlhood's 
lover  failed  her,  now  caused  her  to  draw  near 
her  husband.  Her  face  was  still  white  and  set, 
her  voice  hard  and  somewhat  shrill,  her  eyes 
steel-like,  while  only  the  curve  of  her  mouth 
which  pain  cut  downward  and  a  resolute  will 
held  unquivering,  told  of  her  crushed  spirit. 

"  I  shall  share  your  failure,  Mr.  Gridge," 
she  said,  "  for  we  are  both  failures.  We'll 
take  up  life  again.  I  know,  at  your  age,  it'll 
be  very  hard  for  you,  but  I  can  help  — " 

"  You !  "  he  retorted  fiercely.     "  No !     That 


338         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

is  all  settled.     I  shall  go  my  way  alone.     I  un- 
derstand you  now,  Juanita,  I  know  what  you 


are." 


"  Well,"  remarked  Zack,  "  and  she  knows 
what  you  are;  seems  to  me  it's  a  bargain, 
Gridge.  Better  take  it.  Lots  of  misery'd  be 
spared  if  we'd  remember  our  own  failings  while 
we're  abusing  other  people.  Think  of  that 
necklace  and  then  set  yourself  up  for  virtue,  if 
you  can!  Say  to  your  wife  that  whatever 
faults  she's  committed,  you  can't  afford  to  re- 
proach her  with  them,  since  you're  a  thief. 
And  that's  not  a  pleasant  word,  you'll  admit. 
As  for  my  son-in-law,  very  evidently  he's  not 
in  a  position  to  act  the  high  and  noble  judge. 
As  for  me  —  oh,  my  back,  my  back !  —  coming 
here  in  my  poverty  and  weakness  and  venerable 
old  age,  being  next  door  to  sixty  —  I  admit 
freely  that  I  was  a  fool  to  go  away  and  a  big- 
ger fool  to  stay  away;  but  the  biggest  fool 
is  the  man  that  comes  back  as  from  the 
grave,  expecting  welcome.  I'm  that  man.  But 
there's  one  comfort.  Although  none  of  you 
would  shake  hands  with  me  when  I  came,  be- 


FACE  TO  FACE  339 

cause  you  felt  yourselves  so  much  better,  we've 
found  out  that  one  is  about  as  blamable  as 
the  other  —  I  imagine  that's  the  rule  in  life, 
only  it  isn't  always  found  out.  I've  been  a 
wretch,  I  own ;  but  there's  nobody  here  who  can 
throw  the  first  stone." 

"  Zack,"  exclaimed  Gridge,  impulsively, 
"  I'm  not  worthy,  but  if  you'll  take  this  hand, 
God  knows  how  I  shall  bless  you  and  take  fresh 
courage.  It  isn't  as  if  I  meant  to  wrong  you 
about  that  necklace.  And  though  I  was 
tempted  to  sell  the  bracelet  I  —  well,  I  re- 
sisted; isn't  that  something?" 

"  I'll  take  your  hand,  Gridge,  and  forgive 
all  the  past,  if  you'll  give  your  other  hand  to 
Juanita.  I'm  not  saying  she  deserves  it  —  we 
are  all  miserable  mortals,  and  don't  deserve 
half  we  get." 

"  Then  /  shall  throw  the  first  stone !  "  ex- 
claimed Minna,  flashing  a  disdainful  glance  at 
Juanita's  hand  in  that  of  her  husband.  "  You 
try  to  put  us  all  in  the  wrong,  Father,  so  we'll 
not  reproach  you  for  deserting  us  —  for  letting 
the  neighborhood  gossip  about  us  —  breaking 


340        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

my  poor  mother's  heart.  But  somebody  ought 
to  show  you  what  a  terrible  wrong  you  have 
done  your  family  and  I  shall  tell  you,  yes,  I  can 
speak  openly !  " 

"  You,  Daughter,  least  of  all,  can  throw  the 
first  stone,"  'replied  Zack,  his  eyes  flashing. 
"Where  is  your  mother?"  Before  his  pen- 
etrating gaze  her  eyes  fell.  With  form  no 
longer  bent,  with  face  touched  by  calm  author- 
ity, he  waited  for  her  to  speak. 

"  But  she  wanted  to  be  out  there  —  it  was 
her  wish,"  Minna  faltered. 

"  Her  wish !  Your  mother  never  had  a 
wish  except  for  your  happiness.  She  found  out 
it  relieved  you  to  be  rid  of  her  —  that  she  was 
a  burden  to  you  when  in  your  house.  So  she 
let  herself  be  shut  up  in  that  prison  because  it 
was  your  wish.  She's  starving  there  for  a  sight 
of  you,  for  the  sound  of  your  voice  —  and  you 
give  your  smiles  to  strangers,  you  lavish  your 
charms  on  people  who  care  nothing  for  you 
except  as  they  need  you  at  cards,  or  in  the  ball- 
room. She  would  give  her  life  to  spare  you 
pain,  but  you  are  too  selfish  to  take  a  five-mile 


FACE  TO  FACE  341 

drive  that  she  may  be  made  happy  at  the  mere 
sight  of  you.  And  now  you  are  planning  to 
go  to  Oklahoma  with  no  more  thought  of  her 
desolate  loneliness  than  if  she  were  already  in 
her  grave.  And  all  the  time  you  deceive  your- 
self, saying  that  she  is  old  and  mustn't  be  dis- 
turbed by  your  troubles,  though  in  your  heart 
you  must  know  that  those  who  have  no  troubles 
to  worry  about,  are  already  dead.  You  know, 
or  should  know,  that  what  interests  you  is  the 
only  thing  that  could  interest  her.  She  let  you 
swallow  up  her  farm  that  you  might  live  in 
ease  —  she  gave  you  the  diamonds  —  she'd 
give  you  herself,  only  you  don't  want  her! 
She  refused  to  go  with  me,  though  I  knew  how 
it  would  be,  and  begged  and  implored  her  to 
go.  If  she  died,  the  world  would  be  just  what 
it  is  now,  to  you;  but  if  you  died,  did  you  ever 
wonder  how  she  would  feel?  Oh,  no,  Minna, 
let  anybody  else  reproach  me,  but  not  you  — 
not  you !  " 

"  But,  Father,"  said  Minna,  piteously,  "  you 
don't  understand.  You  are  so  bitter  and  cruel, 
because  you  don't  understand.  The  world 


342        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

isn't  what  it  was  when  you  were  young  and  — 
and  —  mother  wants  to  be  out  there,  because 
it's  —  she  feels  that  it's  the  place  for  her." 
She  began  to  sob. 

"Well,"  said  Zack,  shortly,  "it's  not  the 
place  for  me,  I  understand  that  much  1  I  guess 
this  isn't  a  world  for  old  people,  anyway.  You 
young  folks  just  sort  of  rent  it  out  to  us,  tem- 
porarily, so  to  speak."  He  moved  toward  the 
door.  "  But  I  must  ride  back  to  the  Porter 
farm  —  that  was  Palmer's,  you  know  —  for 
I'll  have  to  be  up  early  at  my  milking  before 
I  can  get  over  to  the  Home  to  see  your  mother. 
Yes,  I've  got  a  job  at  the  Porters';  lucky,  I 
think!  Milking  cows  beats  sitting  up  and  be- 
ing an  Inmate,  to  my  way  of  thinking." 

Jack  and  Minna  followed  him  out  of  the 
house  to  where  his  horse  was  fastened  to  the 
post.  "  Come  and  stay  all  night  with  us,  Mr. 
Flood,"  said  Jack,  heartily.  "  And  Minna  can 
ride  out  to  the  Home  with  you  to-morrow  and 
talk  it  all  over,  and  you'll  see  it  in  the  true 
light." 


FACE  TO  FACE  343 

"  And,  Father,"  added  Minna,  between  her 
sobs,  "  it  will  look  awful  for  you  to  be  out  at 
the  farm  working  like  an  ordinary  farmhand. 
Everybody  will  wonder  and  think  we  oughtn't 
to  allow  it.  Please,  don't.  It  will  be  a  thou- 
sand times  worse  than  it  was  when  you  went 
away." 

"  I  guess  I'd  better  go  away  again  —  and 
stay.  I'm  thinking  of  it."  He  mounted  the 
horse  with  easy  grace,  then  began  to  cough, 
muttering, — "  Bless  that  cough,  I'd  forgotten 
it!  No,  thank  you,  Jack,  not  to-night.  But 
I'll  see  you  later.  Wonder  if  there'd  be  any 
opening  for  me  out  in  Oklahoma?  " 

"  Yes,  there  would !  "  Jack  exclaimed,  with 
sudden  hopefulness.  "You  bet!  Why,  say, 
there'll  be  an  awful  lot  of  work  to  be  done  on 
our  place,  and  you  know  all  about  farm- 
ing .  .  ." 

"  Oh,  yes,  but  my  back !  " 

His  son-in-law  looked  at  him  with  an  intelli- 
gent twinkle.  "  Treat  it  as  you  do  your  cough 
—  forget  it." 


344        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Jack,"  said  his  father-in-law,  "  there's 
something  in  you,  after  all  —  and  one  good 
thing:  whatever  there  is,  comes  right  to  the 
surface.  Good  night,  Minna,  try  to  get  used 
to  the  idea." 

"  Father,"  Minna  returned  unsteadily,  "  I 
don't  know  what  you  mean  —  you  always  ex- 
pressed yourself  so  queerly  (Mother  used  to 
notice  it,  too).  I  want  you  to  stay  right  here; 
it  would  look  so  much  better — " 

"  Tell  'em  not  to  look,"  said  Zack,  dryly. 

" — And  I  had  never  thought  of  Mother  as 
you  said  —  she  seemed  to  belong  to  the  past, 
don't  you  know,  because  when  a  person  is  real 
old  and  has  lived  one  life  —  she  oughtn't  to  be 
burdened  with  the  cares  of  us  young  people. 
.  .  .  You  have  made  me  perfectly  wretched 
—  I  know  I  shan't  sleep  all  night  long." 

"  Well,  Minna,  if  you  should  stay  awake,  re- 
member that  you're  not  so  young  as  you  used  to 
be.  I  can  see  quite  a  difference !  " 

He  rode  away. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   RETURN 

AS  soon  as  he  could  be  spared  from 
his  morning's  work,  Zack  borrowed 
Mr.    Porter's    horse    and    galloped 
across  country  to  the  Old  People's  Home.     Al- 
though his  heart  was  bounding  with  eager  im- 
patience, he  slowed  up  as  he  came  in  sight  of 
the  handsome  brick  building,  and  as  he  walked 
across  the  yard,   his  step  was  deliberate,  his 
exploring  glances  cautious. 

No  wonder  Richard,  as  she  met  him  in  the 
hall,  failed  to  recognize  in  the  stooping  figure 
of  bushy  whiskers,  downcast  gaze  and  hesi- 
tating feet,  the  uncle  who  had  been  to  her  as 
an  impersonation  of  activity  and  dauntless  res- 
olution. 

Without  the  information  imparted  by  the 
Porters,  neither  would  he  have  known  the  tall, 
self-reliant  woman  whose  simple  dress  of  serv- 

345 


346        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

ice  made  her  beauty  more  remarkable.  There 
was  just  enough  of  his  sister's  look  to  give  to 
her  loveliness  a  charming  touch  of  familiarity; 
and  it  was  difficult  to  preserve  his  calm  exterior 
and  keep  in  mind  the  need  of  revealing  him- 
self by  slow  degrees. 

"  They  tell  me,"  he  said,  in  a  faint,  old 
voice,  "  that  a  woman  is  kept  here  named  Mrs. 
Flood.  If  that's  a  fact,  I'd  like  to  speak  to 
her." 

Richard  looked  at  him,  intently.  "  Mrs. 
Flood  rooms  here."  She  hesitated. 

"  How  is  she?  Strong  enough  to  talk  to  a 
stranger?  I  don't  want  to  do  any  harm  if  her 
heart's  uncertain,  though  I  judge  it  ought  to 
be  fairly  well  seasoned  by  now." 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  the  other,  clasping  her 
hands,  "  have  you  come  with  —  with  some 
news  ...  ? " 

"  I  think  it'll  be  sort  of  tidings  to  her.  Yes, 
young  lady,  it's  about  her  husband." 

"Is  he  alive?"  she  demanded,  quickly. 
"  Do  you  know  where  he  is?  —  I'm  his  niece. 
Is  he  ill?" 


THE  RETURN  347 

"  His  back  isn't  what  it  was,  young  lady,  and 
he  has  a  cough,  sometimes.  But  he's  alive,  all 
right—" 

She  grasped  his  hand,  convulsively.  "  And 
you  have  come  to  tell  us?  God  bless  you! 
God  bless  you!  You  know  my  Uncle  Zack?  " 

"  I've  got  a  tolerable  speaking  acquaintance 
with  him." 

"  Come  —  this  way." 

"  But  oughtn't  it  to  be  broken  to  her  grad- 
ual, that  a  man  has  come  to  talk  about  her 
husband?  " 

"  Oh,  no  —  Aunt  Minnie  is  prepared  for 
more  than  that.  She's  been  expecting  Uncle 
Zack  every  hour." 

"  How  on  earth  can  she  be  expecting  him?  " 

"  A  diamond  bracelet  came  from  him  yes- 
terday, so  she's  sure  he  will  follow  it.  And  so 
you  know  Uncle  Zack !  —  and  he's  alive  and 
well!  It  seems  too  good  to  be  true."  And 
she  clasped  his  hand  warmly  as  she  hurried  him 
toward  the  staircase. 

Mrs.  Flood  had  darkened  her  room  because 
the  glare  of  the  sun  against  the  unshaded  house 


348         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

hurt  her  eyes;  it  was  perhaps  on  that  account 
that  she  failed  to  recognize  her  husband  even 
after  Richard  had  left  them  alone  together. 

"  I  hope  it  won't  agitate  you,  ma'am,  to  be 
told  of  Zack.  I  wanted  the  young  lady  to 
break  it  gradual  — " 

"  Oh,  no,  oh,  no,  I  knew  he'd  come  or  send 
somebody.  He  sent  you,  didn't  he?"  She 
stood  putting  her  hands  tremulously  together 
and  drawing  them  apart,  with  a  mighty  effort 
at  composure. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  in  a  way,  I  may  say,  yes. 
But  won't  you  sit  down?  for  I  can  see  plain 
that  you're  not  strong.  From  what  Zack  said, 
I  expected  to  see  a  younger  woman  —  I 
couldn't  believe  my  ears  when  they  said  you 
were  in  a  Home  for  old  folks." 

She  sank  upon  a  chair  and  tried  to  sit  erect 
as  in  former  days.  "  But  when  is  he  coming?  " 
she  faltered.  "  And  —  and,  oh,  where  is 
he?" 

"  You  see,  ma'am,  he  wanted  to  know,  first, 
if  you'd  be  willing  to  so  much  as  look  at  him, 
after  his  leaving  the  country  the  way  he  did." 


THE  RETURN  349 

She  drew  herself  up.  "  My  husband  was 
greatly  tried,"  she  returned,  with  dignity. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  but  you  see  he  feels  that  his 
keeping  out  of  sight  and  sound  of  his  family 
all  these  years  has  made  him  a  renegade  and 
he's  ashamed — " 

"  It  isn't  too  late,  it  isn't  too  late  I  n  She 
started  up,  wildly.  "  Thank  God  it  isn't  too 
late,  yet.  But  if  he  doesn't  come  soon  — " 

"  How  can  he  look  you  in  the  eye,"  cried 
the  stranger,  "  after  his  desertion?  He  didn't 
know  it  wouldn't  be  too  late.  (He  wanted  me 
to  say  all  this.)  It  was  his  obstinate  stubborn- 
ness that  kept  him  from  writing,  or  from  ever 
reading  a  line  about  this  part  of  the  country. 
You  might  have  been  dead  and  in  your  grave, 
and  he'd  have  been  down  there  in  Arkansas 
tinkering  away  like  a  fool  — " 

She  staggered  toward  him,  blindly. 

"  And  you  in  this  damned  Home  — " 

"  It's  Zack !  "  She  was  in  his  arms,  laugh- 
ing and  sobbing.  "  It's  Zack!  " 

He  burst  into  tears.     "  Oh,  Minnie !  " 

"  It  M  Zack.     Oh,  hold  me  close  to  you  — 


350        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

close  —  I've  been  so  lonely  —  but  you've  come. 
/  knew  you'd  come,  Zack,  /  knew  it!  I'm  go- 
ing with  you  wherever  you  go,  if  it's  to  starve 
together." 

"  But  I  know  you  can't  forgive  me,  honey,  I 
can't  forgive  myself." 

"  It's  not  a  matter  of  forgiving,  or  being 
forgiven.  It's  just  that  you  are  here  —  here! 
You'll  never  leave  me  again  will  you,  Zack?  " 

"  Not  if  you'll  go  with  me." 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  pathetic  at- 
tempt at  old  playfulness.  "  Suppose  I  won't 
leave?" 

"  Don't  try  me,  honey,  don't  try  me  again !  " 

"  No,  never  again  —  why,  I'd  follow  you  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Dear  one,  you  mustn't 
cry,  it'll  break  my  heart.  I  didn't  feel  like 
this  at  first.  Part  of  me  seemed  frozen  —  the 
part  that  belonged  to  you,  and  I  was  hard  and 
cold  when  I  thought  of  you.  But  after  some 
time  —  some  years  —  I  began  to  feel  an  ache, 
always  a  dull  pain  that  woke  when  I  woke. 
Oh,  there's  nothing  like  a  Home  to  bring  a 
woman  to  her  senses !  " 


THE  RETURN  351 

"  Hush,  Minnie,  I  can't  bear  to  hear  you 
say  such  things  —  my  dear,  proud  — " 

"  I'm  not  proud,  I'm  as  humble  as  a  little 
child.  All  I  ask  is  to  go  with  you  if  you'll 
let  me—" 

"  I  won't  have  you  saying  that.  It's  I  who 
implore  you  to  come  with  me." 

"  I'll  come !  "  She  sank  upon  the  couch  and 
drew  him  down  beside  her.  Half  an  hour 
passed  but  it  seemed  to  her  that  he  had  just 
stepped  through  the  door.  "  When  I  hold 
your  hand,  Zack,  it  makes  me  feel  you're  not 
going  to  slip  away.  You've  had  a  hard  time, 
poor  dear  —  such  a  lined  face,  oh,  I  hate  to  see 
all  these  lines!  And  that  wonderful  beard  — 
are  you  very  poor?  Isn't  there  some  little 
spot  that  we  can  call  our  home,  somewhere,  in 
this  big  world?  " 

"  I've  got  the  spot,  honey." 

14  With  a  house  on  it?     A  cottage  —  a  cabin 

—  just  a  roof  where  we  can  lay  our  heads,  and 
a  bit  of  yard  that  we  can  call  our  own?     Have 
you?     Oh,  Zack!     To  be  at  home  once  more 

—  to  die  at  home!     You  don't  know  how  I 


352         THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

felt  when  I  used  to  think  I  might  not  die  at 
home." 

"  Say  Live  at  home.  Why,  Minnie,  we're 
good  for  many  a  year,  yet.  Of  course  we  can't 
keep  up  with  the  pace  of  young  people,  but 
dang  'em !  I'll  set  a  pace  of  my  own.  We'll 
hike  out  for  an  old  people's  world,  and  live 
according  to  our  wishes  and  our  ailments. 
Down  there  in  Arkansas,  a  fellow  can  grow 
whiskers  till  they  sweep  the  ground  and  no- 
body'll  want  to  put  him  in  a  cage !  —  the  cu- 
riosities all  live  in  the  open.  You  bet,  I've  got 
a  roof  and  a  bit  of  yard!  Why,  Minnie  — 
but  tell  me  about  yourself.  I'm  feeling  too 
good;  explain  this  gray  hair  and  these  wrinkles 
—  remind  me  of  my  wickedness  —  for  I'm  the 
cause  of  all  your  sufferings.  As  they  say  in 
the  novels,  '  Tell  me  your  story.' ' 

"  There's  none  to  tell,  dear.  When  can  we 
go  to  your  little  —  to  our  little  home  ?  May 
I  say  *  our,'  Zack?  " 

"  Oh,  the  villain  I've  been !  Honey,  how 
long  was  it  before  you  sold  the  farm?  Did 
you  actually  hold  to  it  two  entire  years  ?  " 


THE  RETURN  353 

"  Minna  wanted  to  live  in  town,  and  they 
were  gone  a  good  deal.  I  was  rather  lone- 
some out  there  when  they  were  from  home  — 
of  course  there  was  always  Richard,  but  I  didn't 
care  for  her  company,  then,  I  didn't  understand 
her,  she  was  so  quiet  and  odd,  you  know,  with 
never  much  to  say  —  and  I  knew  she  disap- 
proved of  my  daughter  which  made  me  a  little 
hard  toward  her,  I'm  afraid." 

"  So  you  gave  Jack  the  farm.  Then  in 
town,  you  weren't  lonesome,  of  course?" 

"  It  wasn't  Minna's  fault,  Zack.  I  was  too 
old  to  know  how  to  take  a  hand  in  all  the  gay 
doings,  and  if  I'd  known  how,  I  wasn't  strong 
enough,  and  besides  —  how  could  I  be  gay? 
No,  all  that  life  was  for  the  young  —  balls 
and  theaters  and  auto-parties  —  such  breathless 
haste  and  sleepless  hours!  Oh,  that's  when  I 
learned  to  prize  Richard  —  although  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  she  and  I  have  never  been  per- 
fectly in  harmony  —  it  isn't  as  if  she  were  a 
daughter:  I  know  she  thinks  hard  of  Minna. 
Richard  can't  understand,  for  she  wasn't  raised 
with  plenty  of  money  and  never  formed  a  taste 


354        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

for  society.  Richard  isn't  perfect,  but  she's  a 
mighty  fine  girl." 

"  So  they  put  you  at  last  in  this  institution? 
And  I  reckon  you're  safe  from  breathless  haste 
out  here,  where  the  frogs  do  the  main  bulk  of 
the  chorus-work !  " 

"  They  didn't  '  put '  me  here  —  it  was  my 
choice  —  I  came  because  —  oh,  you  know  why, 
Zack." 

"  I  hope  you  won't  insist  on  staying,"  he  re- 
marked, drily.  "  That  little  shack  of  mine  is 
calling  to  us  this  minute." 

She  nestled  closer.  "  You've  had  a  hard 
time,  Zack,  such  a  hard  time  —  these  poor 
rough  hands — "  She  kissed  them.  "I  can 
hardly  wait  to  go.  But  won't  it  be  strange,  we 
two  old  people,  setting  up  housekeeping  by  our- 
selves, as  if  we  meant  to  live  forever?  If  I'd 
seen  Minna  every  day  I'd  feel  different  about 
it,  but  it's  hardly  as  if  I  were  leaving  her,  be- 
cause she's  not  here  to  leave  —  besides,  they'll 
soon  be  going  to  Oklahoma.  Jack's  going  to 
work.  There's  a  fine  fellow !  He  spent  a 
whole  hour  with  me  yesterday  —  I  wish  you 


THE  RETURN  355 

could  have  seen  him  at  that  table,  enjoying  him- 
self." 

"  Yes,  it  would  have  been  a  treat.  I  always 
thought  he'd  do  famously  at  feeding-time. 
Sorry  I  wasn't  here !  So  you're  willing  to  go 
down  there  even  away  from  Minna,  to  a  home 
of  your  own?  " 

"  Zack,  it'll  be  like  getting  to  heaven  before 
the  rest  of  my  loved  ones.  Willing?  Can't 
we  start  to-day?  " 

"What  a  villain  I've  been!  But  there's 
some  excuse  for  me,  honey.  When  I  went 
down  there  it  was  mighty  hard  rowing  for 
awhile.  I  bought  a  place  according  to  the  style 
that's  in  fashion  —  paid  down  about  all  I  had, 
and  gave  a  mortgage  for  the  rest.  It  was  a 
little  orchard,  and  let  me  tell  you  there  was  tall 
traveling  before  a  penny  came  my  way!  The 
trees  were  young,  and  the  seasons  were  bad  for 
several  years  in  succession,  and  half  a  dozen 
different  kinds  of  bugs  had  to  be  sprayed  with 
that  many  different  assortments  of  sprays, 
which  isn't  furnished  free  by  the  State,  let  me 
tell  you !  —  and  then,  when  a  rousing  big  crop 


356        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

did  show  up,  blessed  if  every  tree  in  the  coun- 
try wasn't  bursting  with  fruit  so  that  nobody 
got  anything  for  apples.  And,  in  the  meantime, 
there  was  the  mortgage-interest  to  be  paid,  and 
corn-meal  and  bacon  to  be  bought.  The  hard- 
ships would  have  killed  you,  honey,  not  to 
count  starving  to  death.  But  I  just  held 
my  tail  between  my  legs  and  clung  on  by  my 
teeth  and  at  last  what  I  was  looking  for, 
came!  " 

"  Always  does !  "  she  cried,  a  smile  flashing 
through  her  tears  — "  look  at  you !  " 

"  What  I  hate  about  this  is  that  I'm  never 
going  to  be  punished  as  I  deserve!  You  quit 
a-looking  pleased,  Minnie,  I  need  discipline! 
Then  a  year  came  so  stampeding  with  good 
luck  that  I  was  able  to  pay  off  the  mortgage. 
That  made  me  feel  that  I  was  ready  to  go  to 
living.  Next  year  I  made  a  little  —  not 
enough  to  surprise  me,  because  a  small  orchard 
hasn't  got  a  great  many  trumps  up  its  sleeve. 
Last  year  saw  me  out  of  the  woods;  and  this 
year,  there's  a  prospect  that  'most  any  orchafd- 
ist  would  shed  tears  of  joy  over  —  thanks  to 


THE  RETURN  357 

my  patience  and  learning  through  many  failures, 
I  suspicioned  that  a  new  kind  of  bug  was  on 
its  way  and  I  sprayed  for  him  betimes  —  and 
nearly  all  the  other  fellows  are  watching  their 
fruit  fall  off  the  trees  while  I'm  taking  a  trip 
back  home,  knowing  mine's  going  to  stick !  So 
last  year  I  had  enough  to  build  a  house  for 
you  — " 

"  And  however  humble  it  is,  Zack,  however 
little  and  plain — " 

"  Humble!  "  cried  Zack,  scornfully.  "  Lit- 
tle? Well,  I  guess  when  you  see  that  man- 
sion — "  At  that  moment  his  quick  eye 
recognized  his  daughter  and  Jack  in  a  buggy, 
drawing  up  before  the  Home. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Zack?  It  is  a  hum- 
ble, little  cabin,  isn't  it?  " 

"  Well  —  er  —  you  don't  have  to  stoop  to 
get  through  the  door.  Of  course  there  isn't 
room  in  it  for  a  great  many  people  — " 

"  But  just  you  and  me,  dear,  just  you  and 
me—?" 

"  Yes,  I  'low  enough  room'll  be  found  for 
us  two !  " 


358        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  And  the  orchard?  You  spoke  as  if  it  were 
a  rather  large  one,  with  all  that  fruit" 

"  Oh,  a  few  trees,  honey,  a  few  trees. 
When  you  want  to,  you  can  go  out  and  shake 
down  a  few  eating-apples,  enough  to  make  up 
in  dumplings,  and  then  some.  Yes,  there  are 
a  few  trees  here  and  there  .  .  ." 

Minna  opened  the  door  abruptly,  and,  hurry- 
ing to  the  couch,  sank  upon  her  knees  before 
her  mother,  whose  glad  cry  of  surprise  Zack 
pretended  to  echo. 

"  Mother,  let  me  say  what  I've  come  to  say 
before  everything  —  Father  talked  to  me  last 
night  as  nobody  in  the  world  ever  did  before, 
and — and  at  first  I  was  too  amazed,  too  as- 
tonished, to  know  what  to  think.  But  it  kept 
me  awake  all  night.  It  was  the  truth.  It  was 
as  if  I'd  been  blind  for  years.  And,  oh, 
Mother,  you  ought  to  have  told  me;  although 
I  have  failed  in  my  duty  as  a  daughter,  isn't 
there  a  tiny  excuse  because  you  never  taught  me 
what  my  duty  really  was?  If  you  had  made 
me  thoughtful  of  you  instead  of  always  sure 


THE  RETURN  359 

that  whatever  I  wanted  to  do  was  the  thing 
to  be  done !  " 

"  Hush,  hush !  "  cried  her  mother,  in  distress, 
throwing  her  arms  about  the  bowed  head. 
"  It's  all  right  —  I'm  going  away  with  your 
father,  he  has  a  little  cabin  built  for  me,  and 
a  few  trees  — " 

"  A  very  rocky  country,"  added  Zack,  dis- 
couragingly. 

Minna  brightened  up.  "  But  I  thought 
father  had  nothing,  and  Jack  and  I  have  come 
to  ask  both  of  you  to  go  with  us  to  our  Okla- 
homa farm.  You  see,  it's  under  the  home- 
stead act  and  somebody  must  stay  on  the  place 
three  years,  and  we  thought  it  would  be  fine 
for  you  out  there,  and  then  Jack  and  I  needn't 
be  there  all  the  time.  It  would  be  a  good  thing 
for  you,  Jack  says,  and  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  for  us." 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  Minna,  from  going 
to  do  any  sitting  on  your  land  —  Jack'll  have 
to  hold  it  down  himself  —  that  little  orchard 
of  mine  needs  all  my  time." 


360        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  I  don't  blame  you,"  said  Jack,  stepping 
into  the  room.  "  I  wouldn't  go  there  myself, 
if  I  could  help  it." 

"  But  that  isn't  what  I  wanted  most  to  say," 
Minna  interrupted,  and  then  she  began  to  sob 
convulsively.  It  was  very  hard  for  her  to 
break  through  that  crust  of  selfishness  which 
had  formed  about  her  heart  from  tenderest 
years  altogether  unsuspected  by  herself.  It 
was  almost  impossible  to  confess  herself  wholly 
in  the  wrong  without  clinging  to  some  excuses, 
or  propose  atonement  without  adding  some 
clause  to  her  own  advantage.  But  she  had 
spoken  truly  when  saying  that  all  night  long 
she  had  meditated  her  father's  accusation.  Its 
justice  she  admitted  to  herself,  and  now  she 
tried  to  confess  it  to  her  parents.  And  as,  in 
broken  words  and  with  many  tears,  she  tried 
to  express  repentance  for  having  placed  Mrs. 
Flood  in  the  Old  People's  Home,  to  a  greater 
degree  did  she  realize  the  loneliness  and  suf- 
fering of  which  she  had  been  the  thoughtless, 
careless  cause. 

Mrs.    Flood  would  have   spared   her  every 


THE  RETURN  361 

word  of  remorse,  but  the  daughter's  heart  was 
too  sincerely  moved  to  spare  itself.  Her  flood 
of  tears  with  which  her  mother's  freely  min- 
gled, swept  away  all  barriers  between  the  hearts 
of  the  small  family  group,  and  it  ended  with 
many  kisses  and  warm  handclasps. 

"  I've  an  ax  to  grind,  out  here,"  Jack  said, 
at  last,  when  tranquillity  had  been  restored, 
when  the  parents  had  forgiven  them  everything 
and  Minna  had  forgiven  her  parents  for  bring- 
ing her  up  in  the  ways  of  selfishness.  "  I  must 
hunt  up  Richard,  for  I've  undertaken  to  bring 
her  and  Alfred  Montgomery  together." 

After  he  had  left  the  room,  Minna  began 
whispering  to  her  mother  as  they  sat  close  on 
the  couch.  Her  eyes  were  bright,  her  cheeks 
flushed. 

"  It  has  made  me  see  everything  in  such 
a  strange  way,  Mother,"  she  added,  aloud. 
"  It's  like  a  different  world  when  I  look  around. 
And  —  and  —  that's  what's  brought  me  to  you 
more  than  father's  scolding.  Because  —  well, 
I  think  in  a  different  way  about  mothers  since 
I  learned  .  ." 


362        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

Zack  heard  only  a  few  of  these  words,  but 
he  turned  suddenly  away  while  the  tears  leaped 
to  his  eyes.  As  it  chanced,  he  found  himself 
facing  a  mirror,  and  its  reflection  showed  his 
face  so  strangely  moved,  that  his  wife  ex- 
claimed in  alarm,  "  Zack !  Zack !  what's  the 
matter?  " 

He  dashed  away  the  mist,  and  said  with  a 
laugh,  as  he  stared  at  his  image  in  the  glass  — 
"  I  think  I  see  a  grandfather!  " 


CHAPTER  XX 

UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD 

WHILE  Zack  Flood  had  been  culti- 
vating an  orchard  and  building  a 
house    in    Arkansas     considerably 
more  pretentious  than  he  thought  it  wise  to 
disclose,  Alfred  Montgomery  was  building  up 
a    substantial    law-practice    in    the    city.     His 
health  was  now  excellent,  his  income  assured, 
and  he  had  developed  into  a  well-proportioned, 
handsome  man,  very  popular  in  those  social  cir- 
cles which  he  found  most  congenial. 

This,  however,  did  not  content  him.  He 
was  entering  the  cool  years  of  the  late  thirties 
—  cool  when  one  lives  alone  and  returns  from 
some  gay  party  or  a  hard  day's  work  to  find 
no  companionship  but  that  of  bachelor-fancies. 
Unable  to  drive  Richard  from  his  mind,  unsuc- 
cessful in  his  efforts  to  persuade  her  to  receive 
him,  and  too  proud  to  force  himself  upon  her 
363 


364        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

against  expressed  wishes,  still  he  did  not  try 
to  replace  her  image  in  his  imagination  by  any 
other. 

"  But  if  she  won't  see  me  this  time,"  he  told 
Jack  Palmer,  "  I  shall  never  come  back  to  Pen- 
dleton." 

He  had  formed  the  same  resolution  on  his 
previous  visit,  only  to  break  it;  and  if  he  did 
not  fall  in  love  with  somebody  between  now 
and  next  summer,  Jack  thought  it  more  than 
likely  that  he  would  come  again  —  only,  in  that 
case,  Richard  would  be  in  Arkansas  with  the 
Floods. 

"  I  tell  you,"  Jack  complained  to  his  wife 
as  they  drove  back  from  their  visit  to  the  Old 
People's  Home.  "  I'm  discouraged.  Alfred's 
nailed  now,  but  that  thing  wears  out,  you 
know." 

"  What  thing? "  Minna  returned,  coldly. 
She  had  not  forgotten  Juanita  and  that  curious 
affair  of  the  third  diamond. 

''  Why  —  oh,  not  love  like  mine  for  you,  of 
course,  that's  something  rather  rare  in  this 
world,  I  fancy  —  but  like  Alfred's,  where 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD     365 

there's  nothing  to  keep  it  warm.  I  reasoned 
with  Dicky,  I  coaxed  like  a  good  fellow,  ar- 
gued that  since  Alfred's  father's  dead  and  his 
step-mother  has  married  again  and  gone  to 
Kansas  there's  nothing  here  to  draw  him  from 
his  work  —  but  she  won't  see  him.  Used  to 
have  the  excuse  that  Mother  needed  her,  but 
now  since  the  old  man's  on  deck  —  Minna,  do 
you  reckon  I'll  ever  make  as  wiry  and  lasting 
a  father-in-law  as  the  one  I've  got?  Expect 
he'll  outlive  us  all  —  he's  got  the  makings  of 
a  Methuselah  in  him !  " 

"  I've  never  understood  Richard,  and  never 
pretended  to,"  remarked  Minna,  shaking  her 
head,  "  but  I  believe  she  is  a  good  girl,  and 
tries  to  do  her  duty  as  she  sees  it." 

"  She  never  had  any  interest  in  live  peo- 
ple," Jack  commented.  "  Life's  nothing  to  her 
but  ink  and  paper.  If  Alf  was  a  manuscript 
she  might  get  him  published;  but  being  a  man, 
she  don't  know  what  to  do  with  him.  Now 
that  they've  actually  printed  her  book,  I'm 
afraid  she's  done  for  —  will  just  dry  up  to  a 
parchment  and  we'll  finally  bury  her  with  a 


366        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

pen.  Alas,  poor  Richard!  Oh,  I'm  discour- 
aged." 

So  was  Alfred,  when  Jack  reported  the  re- 
sult of  his  interview.  Pride  urged  him  to  flee 
from  the  woman  who  treated  him  thus  un- 
kindly, but  pride  —  seldom  consistent  —  also 
counseled  him  to  stand  his  ground,  proving 
himself  indifferent  to  her  indifference.  Accord- 
ingly he  remained  at  the  hotel  as  long  as  the 
Floods  and  Richard  staid  with  Jack  and  Minna, 
but  without  any  further  effort  to  meet  the  girl 
who  had  once  loved  him. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  preceding  that 
set  for  the  journey  to  Arkansas,  Alfred  was 
told  that  a  buggy  had  stopped  before  the  hotel 
and  a  lady  asked  to  see  him.  Supposing  he 
was  about  to  be  invited  to  an  informal  outing 
or  evening  party,  he  obeyed  the  summons,  ex- 
cuses forming  on  his  lips.  He  wished  to  be 
alone ;  no  one  in  that  waiting  buggy  could  have 
surprised  him  greatly,  or  caused  him  a  sudden 
thrill  of  delight  —  unless  it  were  Richard. 

As  it  was  Richard,  he  was  greatly  surprised, 
and  thrilled  yet  more  deeply.  Her  identity 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD     367 

was  not  to  be  questioned;  the  figure  and  bear- 
ing were  those  of  the  night  of  the  masked  ball, 
and  the  face,  though  ten  years  older  was  the 
face  that  had  kissed  him  at  the  annual  picnic. 
How  startled  he  had  been  when,  that  summer 
afternoon,  he  looked  up,  astonished,  to  catch 
Richard's  features  transfigured  in  a  glow  of 
beauty.  As  he  looked  up  now,  he  fancied  that 
the  girl's  affections  in  their  innocent  loveliness 
had  been  stamped  upon  cheek  and  brow,  touch- 
ing them  with  their  charm  to  a  grace  never  to 
fade.  As  their  hands  clasped,  it  seemed  to 
him  that  the  fragrant  breath  of  that  warm  day 
with  its  scents  of  woods  and  meadowlands  came 
wafted  to  him  across  the  intervening  years. 

"Richard!  "  He  still  held  her  hand  as  if 
to  secure  a  vision  forever  eluding  him. 

"Will  you  ride  with  me?"  She  was  not 
able  to  conceal  her  agitation;  "I  want  to  say 
—  to  discuss  business  matters  with  you." 

He  took  his  place  beside  her,  moved  by  the 
familiar  quality  of  her  voice,  and  at  the  same 
time  haunted  by  the  fear  of  late  years  that  she 
had  really  lost  all  interest  in  him  —  that  her 


368        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

very  love  might  have  reacted  against  him. 
For  the  present,  however,  it  seemed  enough  to 
be  near  her,  to  feel  the  light  touch  of  her  arm 
against  his,  to  hear  that  dear  accent,  though 
indeed  somewhat  unsteady. 

As  long  as  they  were  in  town,  their  topics 
were  impersonal,  chief  of  these,  the  failure  of 
B.  M.  Gridge,  the  rumor  that  he  was  to  be 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  house  where  he  had 
so  long  been  the  master,  the  wonder  that  so 
careful  a  man  should  have  lived  so  far  beyond 
his  income,  and  the  fear  that  Juanita  would 
find  her  altered  circumstances  hard  to  bear. 
Richard  answered  abstractedly  as  if  forming  in 
her  mind  the  best  way  to  present  those  mys- 
terious "  business  matters  "  which  at  the  begin- 
ning had  been  sounded  as  the  keynote  of  their 
interview. 

But  Alfred  had  no  intention  of  letting  their 
relationship  rest  upon  a  business  plane,  and 
when  they  were  surrounded  by  green  fields  — 

"  Richard,  you  are  just  what  I  wanted  you 
to  be,  only  you  needn't  have  been  half  so  beau- 
tiful. And  that  good,  true  voice  that  always 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD     369 

expressed  a  thousand  times  more  than  the 
words  spoken  —  putting  everything  into  italics 
and  big  capitals  —  I  feel  as  if  I  hadn't 
breathed  deeply  since  I  heard  it  last.  You've 
held  yourself  toward  me  as  a  perfect  stranger 
but  I  can't  be  a  stranger  to  one  with  so  much 
of  the  old-time  days  in  her  smile." 

"  It  had  to  be,"  she  spoke,  hurriedly.  "  My 
life  was  so  full,  so  full !  " 

"  Full !  "  he  cried,  protestingly.  "  Yes  — 
of  a  thousand  tasks  —  little  duties  without  end 
that  somebody  else  should  have  performed. 
But  a  life  that's  full  of  ceaseless  toil  —  work 
that  must  be  done  but  means  nothing  in  itself 
—  is  a  very  empty  life,  after  all." 

"  Oh,  I  had  my  escape  —  you  forget  my 
writing."  Her  eyes  were  starry  bright. 

"  No,  I  remember  your  writing,  but  it  could 
only  come  at  the  close  of  day  when  you  were 
tired  out.  If  you  could  know  how  I  have  suf- 
fered, thinking  of  you  in  that  Home  working 
with  these  hands  and  feet  as  if  they  were  the 
hands  and  feet  of  —  just  of  anybody  else." 

"  I    am    just    anybody,"    Richard    laughed. 


370        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"  Just  anybody  who  works  gladly  that  some- 
body else  may  be  happy." 

'  Yes  —  I  thought  of  that,  I  knew  why  you 
did  it;  it  didn't  make  me  suffer  less  to  think  of 
your  weariness  and  starved  youth  —  but,  oh, 
how  it  did  teach  me  to  love  you !  " 

She  looked  at  him  with  clear,  earnest  eyes, 
no  blush  answering  his  impetuous  words. 
"  Don't  praise  me,"  she  said,  gently,  "  such 
work  should  be  its  own  reward.  Please  let  me 
talk  business." 

There  was  something  in  her  manner  of 
speaking  the  phrase  that  reminded  him  of  the 
quaintness  of  her  girlhood.  She  was  so  deter- 
mined to  remain  calm  and  self-controlled,  as 
if  there  were  nothing  between  them  after  this 
long  separation  but  "  business." 

"  Richard,  kindness  to  one  lonely  life  hardly 
justified  your  unkindness  to  another  lonely  mor- 
tal —  the  mortal  who  now  protests  that  you  owe 
him  something — " 

She  interposed  with  a  sudden  flashing  smile, 
"  Yes !  That's  exactly  why  I  asked  you  to  take 
this  ride;  indeed,  I  do  owe  you  entirely  too 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD     371 

much !  But  I  have  all  the  items  in  this  note- 
book and  if  you'll  take  the  lines',  I'll  check  them 
off." 

He  obeyed  ruefully,  and  Richard  read  the 
sums  of  money  she  had  received  from  him  by 
mail,  while  he,  looking  down,  thought  there 
had  never  surely  been  such  a  charming  mouth  so 
filled  with  unwelcome  figures. 

"  It  adds  up  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars," 
she  concluded,  "  and  seventy-five  cents." 

'  Yes,"  carelessly,  "  I  knew  it  was  very 
little." 

"  And  now,"  she  said,  svith  portentous  grav- 
ity, "  do  you  know  why  I  applied  to  you  for  all 
this  money?  " 

'  You  wanted  some  little  extras  for  your 
aunt  and  ready  money  was  hard  to  get." 

"  But  what  could  you  think  of  a  girl  who 
coolly  and  deliberately  asked  money  of  you,  not 
as  a  favor,  but  a  right  —  and  yet  refused  to 
see  you?  " 

:<  What  did  I  think  of  you?  In  such  a  way 
that  no  other  girl  has  ever  seemed  worth  think- 
ing about." 


372        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

She  reproved  him  gently,  "  You  mustn't  an- 
swer like  that.  Because,  there  is  an  explana- 
tion. When  Uncle  Zack  went  away,  he  said 
arrangements  had  been  made  with  some  one  we 
both  trusted,  and  that  whenever  I  found  myself 
in  need,  I'd  be  provided  for.  Your  name  had 
just  been  mentioned  and  I  was  sure  that  he 
meant  you.  But  to-day  I  found  out  that  he 
meant  Mr.  Gridge!  And  I'm  wondering  what 
you  must  have  thought  of  me  all  this  time." 

His  heart  sank.  "  Don't  say  you  asked  my 
help  only  because  you  thought  your  uncle  had 
commissioned  me  to  help  you." 

"  But  could  I  possibly  have  done  it,  other- 
wise? " 

"  But  I  thought  — "  he  looked  at  her 
blankly.  "  Oh,  Richard,  this  is  such  a  disap- 
pointment! I  thought  .  .  ." 

"  Yes,  I  was  afraid  of  that,"  she  answered, 
somewhat  breathlessly,  while  the  color  stole  to 
her  cheeks.  "  Just  as  soon  as  Uncle  Zack  ex- 
plained —  this  morning  —  I  was  afraid  that  you 
must  have  had  some  thought,  and  — " 

He  drove  on  for  a  time  in  silence,  more  de- 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD     373 

pressed  by  her  explanation  than  he  cared  to 
confess.  "  It  seemed  all  that  I  had  left  of 
your  friendship,"  he  said,  presently.  "  I'd  lost 
your  dear  comradeship,  but  I  still  had  your 
faith  in  me.  Now  it  seems  even  that  was 
meant  for  somebody  else." 

She  interrupted,  in  a  fluttering  voice,  trying 
to  hold  her  gaze  steady.  "  But  you  must  tell 
me  what  you  thought,  even  if  it  is  hard  for  you, 
because  only  in  that  way  can  everything  be  made 
clear.  Do  not  let  us  part  this  time,  Alfred, 
with  any  misunderstanding.  You  thought  — ?  " 

"  Oh,  what  does  that  matter,  Richard?  It 
is  past.  It  seems  I  was  mistaken." 

"  You  thought  —  yes,  I  must  tell  you  —  that 
I  could  ask  it  of  you  because  I  —  because  of 
what  you  learned  that  day  at  the  picnic  — 
Won't  you  help  me,  Alfred?  It  isn't  as  easy  to 
say  it  as  it  was  ten  years  ago." 

"  I  will  say  it  for  you,"  he  answered,  his 
heart  suddenly  leaping  in  tumultuous  hope  as 
the  color  deepened  in  her  cheeks,  while  her 
eyes  no  longer  met  his  searching  look.  "  I 
thought  that  you  still  loved  me." 


374        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

"I  was  afraid  of  it!  I  knew  it!"  she 
faltered.  "  And  because  you  imagined  that  I 
still  —  did,  it  kept  me  in  your  thoughts  and  so 
—  and  that  is  why  — " 

"  Richard,  do  you  want  me  to  think  that  you 
no  longer  love  me?  " 

Her  face  paled,  but  her  voice  grew  firmer. 
"  Yes  —  I  want  you  to  think  that  it  —  is  all 
over." 

"  And  I  must  go  away  —  back  to  the  city  — 
back  to  my  life  of  loneliness  with  no  hope  that 
your  love  for  me  is  as  strong  as  it  used  to  be?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Even  when  I  tell  you  that  the  thought  of 
you  has  become  the  most  sacred  influence  of  my 
life  —  that  every  year  of  your  humble  and 
silent  service  has  added  its  weight  to  the 
strength  of  my  love,  yes,  that  I  loved  you  be- 
fore I  saw  you,  loved  you  for  your  life,  your 
beautiful  life  —  and  now  that  I  see  your  face, 
I  find  it  the  symbol  of  all  I  ever  truly  loved !  — 
in  spite  of  all  this,  can  you  say  that  you  do  not 
love  me?  " 

"  But,  Alfred  —  but,  don't  you  see,  all  this 


UNDER  THE  COTTONWOOD      375 

—  what  you  say  now  —  is  because  of  what  I  told 
you  that  day  at  the  picnic?  And  if  you  hadn't 
learned  about  it,  and  imagined  I  still  cared  for 
you  as  I  did  when  a  child — " 

"  It  doesn't  matter  how  love  comes,  if  it 
comes  to  stay.  If  you  can  deny  your  love,  I'll 
believe  what  you  want  me  to  believe.  You 
couldn't  wrong  anything  so  beautiful,  so  sweet, 
so  pure,  by  refusing  to  acknowledge  it  if  it  still 
lives.  I  tell  you  once  again,  I  love  you,  dar- 
ling. Can  you  say  that  you  do  not  love  me?  " 
There  was  a  pause.  "  Say  it  if  you  can!  "  he 
cried  out,  with  something  like  triumph  in  his 
voice.  "  Say  it,  Richard !  " 

But  Richard  could  not  say  it. 

It  was  not  long  after  that  before  they  came 
in  sight  of  the  cottonwood  tree  —  for  where 
there  is  love  there  are  trees.  "  Oh,  that  faith- 
ful tree !  "  cried  Richard,  smiling  through  her 
tears.  "  Look  —  it  has  been  waiting  for  us 
ever  since  the  day  we  passed  it  on  our  way 
from  the  station  —  do  you  remember?  " 

" —  And  I  remember  you  told  me  about  your 
poem  that  described  it.  You  wondered  if  you 


376        THE  THIRD  DIAMOND 

would  be  as  brave  as  it  if  you  were  left  to  stand 
all  alone,  no  friends  near  you,  no  birds,  perhaps, 
to  sing  for  you  —  would  you  go  on  '  rippling 
out  your  happy  music,  keeping  your  shade  for 
some  weary  traveler  '  ?  " 

"  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it,"  she  answered, 
happily.  "  To  think  of  your  keeping  that  in 
your  mind !  " 

"  No,  in  my  soul !  Many  and  many  a  time 
I've  thought  of  it;  for  you  have  stood  all  alone, 
no  friends,  no  birds  —  but  bless  your  dear  face, 
your  dear,  faithful  heart!  your  music  has  rip- 
pled out,  and  you  are  a  blessing  to  the  weary 
traveler.  You're  a  true  sister  to  the  tree  — 
wave  it  good-by." 

Richard  laughed  and  waved  at  the  waving 
tree,  and  passed  on  with  smiles  and  tears,  never 
again  to  stand  alone. 


THE   END 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000134513     1 


